News: Burning The Clocks returns for 2013 on the shortest day

Burning the Clocks is back! Brighton’s unique community ritual celebrating the shortest day of the year, will take place on Saturday 21 December 2013.

For almost two decades, the event has been lighting up the streets of Brighton with local residents parading their lanterns through the city, before passing them into a huge bonfire on the beach. The coming year is welcomed in with a fire show and a massive fire sculpture which is ignited while live music plays and fireworks light up the sky.

Same Sky, Brighton’s pioneering community arts charity, created the event as an alternative to the commercial excesses of Christmas and as a way for the people of Brighton to get together and celebrate the festive season. Over 20,000 spectators now turn out to watch the 2,000-strong parade and take part in this unique local tradition.

Burning the Clocks is partly funded by Brighton and Hove City Council but the charity have to find the majority of funding for the event themselves. There are lots of ways to get involved with Burning the Clocks to help make sure it returns each year. They are always looking for new sponsors for the event and offer a wide range of packages that cater to both family and business sponsorship, from friends and family workshops to festival business events.

If you and your family would like to be part of this magical parade you can purchase a lantern pack with everything you will need to make your very own lantern. It is your ticket to joining in the parade and be on the seafront in the heart of the action.

Same Sky will also be running a crowd-funder this year to raise money and you can donate at any time. Details of how to do this are available on their website at www.samesky.co.uk.