News

Nathalia illuminated during preschool’s lantern festival

By Daniel Harvey

Jul 2, 2026

Families explored the illuminated displays and giant lanterns during Nathalia Preschool's popular community event. Photo by Supplied

Nathalia Preschool held its second Illuminate Nathalia event on June 12, a lantern festival hosted at the school and featuring lanterns created by the students.

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The event saw a collaboration with the local community and another GRPSA preschool to create lanterns, alongside lanterns from The Lanternist, Melbourne-based illustrator and designer Tyson Savanah.

The students’ teacher Andrea Sutton said the event was a great opportunity for people to come and see the preschool and see all the magical activities and projects the children have been working on.

“They were just really proud to show off their work and then to explore the big lanterns,” she said.

Visitors admired the colourful lantern installations and illuminated displays at Nathalia Preschool's annual lantern festival. Photo by Supplied

The children work on their lantern designs for two terms, made in various stages throughout the school terms. The children also worked with the planned activity group participants, made up of the community’s older generation.

Barmah Kindergarten children also worked on and contributed lanterns, as well as The G.R.A.I.N Store, who created the skeleton of the Murray river cod. Members of the community then came together to create the outside of the lantern.

“This year we brought in a professional, The Lanternist,” Ms Sutton said.

“There were quite a few hundred people, we were very busy.”

The Lanternist had a large display, bringing up more lanterns from Melbourne than the school had expected.

“It was a very big collaborative effort to bring it all together,” Ms Sutton said.