Merry & Bright: Festival Of Light Returns To Ryde This December
- Dominic Kureen
- 17 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Ryde will glow once again this winter as Merry & Bright: Festival of Light returns on Friday 5 December, from 5pm to 8pm.
Now in its fifth year, the popular New Carnival event – delivered with Ryde Town Council and funded by Arts Council England – will also include the town’s Christmas lights switch-on.
Families can enjoy an evening packed with music, performances, crafts, indoor activities and a visit to Father Christmas’s grotto.
Local favourites including Huxley Magic, Vectis Brass, Abbey Brass, Jimi Cameron, Double Take, Rowdy Carols and 432 Nomads Collective will be back to entertain the crowds.
At the heart of the celebration is the Lantern Parade, running from 6pm to 7pm, lighting up Ryde’s streets with this year’s theme of “Yule”.
Schools and carnival groups from across the Island – including St Helen's, Binstead and Wootton primaries, Shademakers, and carnival associations from Ryde, Ventnor, Sandown, East Cowes and Newport – will join the procession, supported by the vibrant rhythms of RAW Samba.The parade starts on Dover Street and makes its way through Park Street, Star Street, the High Street and Union Street before finishing at Western Gardens.
Across the town, venues will come alive with festive fun.
Aspire Ryde will serve refreshments and showcase young performers, while Vernon Square Gardens will feature illuminated sculptures, a cosy Dark Skies quiet zone, and treats from the Vernon Square Conservation Society.
St Thomas’s Rest Garden will host the colourful Neon Garden, enhanced this year with creative contributions from Newport Youth and the Munsoon Collective.
St Thomas Church (Network Ryde) becomes the main stage for music, dance and circus acts, and the former NatWest bank transforms into a bustling Creation Station offering face painting, crafts, gift-making and Father Christmas’s grotto (£3 per child).
A festive craft market will fill the Royal Victoria Arcade, and many Ryde shops – including Liz Earle, Duxmore Botanics, Café 64, Dotty, The Kandy Box and others – will stay open for late-night shopping.
The Bus Museum’s vintage bus will even join the fun as an extra performance space.
The evening ends with a fiery finale from Wild Woods in St Thomas Square.
The event costs around £10,000 to stage and is supported by Wightlink, PC Consultants, Solent Sky Services and Farrow Friends. Organisers say even a £2 donation per visitor would help secure the festival’s future.
Get involved
Free lantern-making workshops:
• Ventnor St Margaret’s Hall – Sat 22 Nov, 1–5pm
• Newport Minster – Sat 29 Nov, 10am–1pm
• Ventnor Better Days Café – Sat 29 Nov, 10am–1pm
DIY kits (£10) and private workshops are also available.
A weekend large willow sculpture workshop for adults (19+) takes place at Brighstone Wilberforce Hall on Sat 22 & Sun 23 Nov (£40 / £25 conc.).