Dartford Festival of Light turns 16

The Dartford Festival of Light, held on Friday 21 November, welcomed record numbers of local residents who turned out to celebrate despite the cold weather. A much-loved highlight in the town’s cultural calendar, the festival once again delivered an uplifting evening of colour, creativity, and community spirit.

The Festival started on the High Street, where DJ Ross and vocalist Naz brought high-energy music and performances that warmed up the crowd on a bitterly cold evening.

This was followed by 14 local schools taking part in the spectacular lantern parade. In the weeks leading up to the event, pupils worked closely with Same Sky to design and create unique lanterns around the inspiring themes of unity, solidarity, and community. The lanterns illuminated Dartford Town Centre as families, friends, and neighbours walked together in celebration. They were joined in the parade by popular local acts DDFK Brass Band, Bloco Fogo Samba, Kings of Dhol, and dynamic lit up Stilt Walkers.

The parade climaxed in Central Park where a spectacular firework display took place following short speeches by the Leader of Dartford Borough Council Jeremy Kite MBE, Deputy Lieutenant of Kent Kelvin Holford, Deputy Mayor of Dartford Avtar Sandhu MBE and Jim Dixon MP.

The Festival was delivered in partnership with Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Dartford Borough Council and was supported by Arts Council England, KKB Group, and Uden Funeral Services,

Gurvinder Sandher MBE DL, Artistic Director of Cohesion Plus, said:

“The Dartford Festival of Light has always been about bringing local residents together through the arts, with creativity, culture, and community at its heart and this year was no different. We had a record number of schools that took part, and we are grateful to them for their support and all of our partners which has enabled the Festival to celebrate its 16th anniversary this year. It has been a challenging few months, but what this event shows you is the power of the arts in connecting communities and creating positive shared experiences for young and old.”