Southern Edge Arts
Circus - Theatre - Community
Championing the creativity of young people in the Great Southern for 40 years
Carrying the Fire
Albany | 7 November 2026
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A Coastline Alive with Light
Join thousands on the foreshore as Albany-Kinjarling transforms into a living masterpiece of unity and hope.
On the night of Saturday, 7 November 2026, the Great Southern coastline from Emu Point to Binalup/Middleton Beach will glow with the warmth of thousands of handmade lanterns. Initiated, produced, and presented by FORM Building a State of Creativity in collaboration with Creative Producer Southern Edge Arts and Artistic Director Annette Carmichael, Carrying the Fire is a large-scale, community-led participatory artwork celebrating our shared future.
What Do You Carry into Our Shared Future?
Whether you build a lantern, carry a hope, or walk along the sand with family and friends, everyone is invited to be part of this unforgettable evening.
How to Get Involved
Join us for a Free Lantern Making Workshop
Monday 17 August | 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM or 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM
📍 Location: Southern Edge Arts (PCYC building)
Suitable for all ages and abilities. Bring your family and friends, learn to build your own handmade lantern, and share your hopes for our community's future!
Access step-by-step instructions in our Creative Learning Guide. Designs inspired by Menang Country (including Moodjar Flower, Biyarra/Banksia, Kwornt, and Sea Star designs). Follow any of our lantern instructions, or design your own. NO NAKED FLAME ALLOWED. We recommend you use your mobile phone.
Download Design Guides or and create your own lantern
Join the Procession.
It's important to register for key information.
Bring your lantern and walk the coastline on 7 November 2026 to create a river of light visible around the world. Tell us how far you would like to walk and what kind of terrain suits you (beach, hills, boardwalk etc).
Ten days before the event you will receive your customised instructions that direct you to your entry point and a link to the Carrying the Fire app.
We have created a mobile phone app that controls the torch on your phone to create spectacular patterns that will be filmed from the sky.
Become a Lantern Leader
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Lead the Way: Guide and inspire groups of Lantern-bearers along assigned sections of the foreshore.
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Be the Connection: Act as the key link between the artistic team and the community participants on event night.
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Celebrate & Create: Help facilitate a safe, vibrant, and collaborative environment for a shared creative journey.
We are seeking 200 people aged 15 years and older, to undertake the role of Lantern Leaders. No prior performance experience needed, you just need to feel comfortable moving your body in a simple way and leading the public (Lantern- Bearers) with a few easy movements and a procession along the beach or boardwalk.
Lantern Leaders will be assigned a specific point along the beach/boardwalk where you will perform a short lantern dance at the start of the event, invite the Lantern-bearers towards the water with their lanterns and then lead/ guide them in easy movements using a ‘follow the leader’ format.
Lantern Leaders will be involved in the project in three stages: One Lantern Making Workshop, 4 x Rehearsals and the Performance on 7 November. Please also note that you will need your own mobile phone for all workshops, rehearsals and the performance of Carrying The Fire.
Cost:
There is no cost. All Lantern Leaders will be provided a complimentary associate membership to Southern Edge Arts. No other workshop or project fees are payable.
Everyone is invited to be a Part of Carrying the Fire.
NOTES AND WARNINGS
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This event happens in low light conditions
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The lantern walk occurs on beach sand, paths and wooden board walk - choose the path that suits you best.
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Keep children close - the lantern walk happens near the water
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The event will be filmed from the air by drones. At times, these drones will fly low over the water.
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At the end of the event, small flames will be seen at Middleton Beach - this is intentional and part of the show's end. Do not be alarmed.
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Sound and music will be played throughout the event.
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You can quit the Carrying the Fire app at any time and use your phone. Please reopen the app when you are ready to rejoin the performance.
Photography by Nic Duncan for Southern Edge Arts
The Invitation
Albany-Kinjarling will glow with light and unity on the night of 7 November 2026, as thousands of handmade lanterns illuminate the coastline all the way from Emu Point to Binalup/Middleton Beach. Lamp-bearers will gather along the sand, transforming the foreshore into a breathtaking string of lights: a living, ephemeral artwork captured in footage to be shared worldwide. Carrying the Fire is a participatory event and a large-scale community light event. It asks a simple question: what do you carry into our shared future? It is an invitation for Albany residents and visitors of all ages to come together in a shared creative journey, building a sense of belonging and unity across the Great Southern and beyond. As much a celebration of human cooperation as it is a homage to landscape, this is an event that will leave an unforgettable mark on this place and this moment.
FORM Building a State of Creativity, the creative visionaries behind the breathtaking Field of Light: Avenue of Honour on Mount Clarence, are set to inspire our imaginations once again. This time, they are partnering with Southern Edge Arts to bring another large-scale participatory artwork to Albany.
This ephemeral masterpiece, Carrying the Fire, will be crafted by communities across the Great Southern and beyond, uniting us all in a shared creative journey.
Initiated, produced and presented by FORM, Carrying the Fire is brought to life in collaboration with Creative Producer Southern Edge Arts and Artistic Director Annette Carmichael.
Host a Lantern Making Workshop
Be part of the experience: Create your own lantern.
Everyone is invited to join the walk and light up the coastline. To make this possible, Southern Edge Arts is offering free lantern-making workshops for community groups, schools, businesses, sporting clubs, and service organisations.
Engage your members, staff, or customers in a unique creative experience. Our team of artists will guide your group in crafting beautiful lanterns to carry during the event, sparking conversations about our collective hopes for the future.
Schools, community groups, and individuals can download the Creative Learning Pack or register to participate in a workshop with a Teaching Artist. Workshops are adaptable to all ages and abilities. Everyone is welcome to engage with this project.
Cultural Foundation
Deeply rooted in place, this community-led project has been developed in consultation with the Albany 2026 Cultural Advice Sub-Committee, co-ordinated by Wagyl Kaip Southern Noongar Aboriginal Corporation, with Menang cultural consultant and artist Penny Williams central to the creative team from the outset.
Lantern designs by local artists draw on the symbols of Menang Country: the resilient biyarra/banksia, the sheltering kwornt, the regenerative sea star, and the spiritual moodjar/WA Christmas Tree.
Workshops are adapted for all ages and abilities, ensuring everyone has the chance to contribute to this spectacular river of light.
Local artists, arts teachers and community leaders are also invited to register for a Professional Development workshop that will equip you to lead your own lantern making workshops and participate in the final event.
Register your interest in hosting a free lantern-making workshop for your group. Let’s come together to create something beautiful and carry the fire for Albany’s future.
For lantern-making workshop enquiries: contact Southern Edge Arts CTF Team,
ctf@southernedge.org.au , 0493 717 689.
For event enquiries: contact FORM,
culturaltourism@form.net.au, 08 9385 2200
Find out more about Albany 2026
Lantern Making Workshops: February – November 2026, Various locations in Albany and Denmark, register your interest now.
Carrying the Fire: Saturday 7 November 2026, Albany, locations around Binalup Middleton Beach
Carrying the Fire is initiated, produced and presented by FORM Building a State of Creativity in collaboration with Creative Producer Southern Edge Arts and Artistic Director Annette Carmichael, as part of the Albany 2026 program. Lotterywest is a Major Supporter of the City of Albany 2026 Program. Minderoo Foundation is proud to be the Lead Partner of Carrying the Fire. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Festivals Australia program.
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