Tens of thousands of people gathered along the Atlanta BeltLine on Sept. 10 to celebrate the 2016 BeltLine Lantern Parade. The event was founded by Chantelle Rytter and Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons in 2010 and has become a much-anticipated annual tradition. Colorful lanterns were carried along the Eastside Trail from Irwin Avenue to Piedmont Park. The crowds continue to grow every year.
Chantelle Rytter leads the start of the parade as thousands line the BeltLine to watch.Allison Rentz and Unisa Asokan prepare their lanterns for the start of the parade.People lining the Atlanta BeltLine receive high fives from a giant lantern puppet.Lady Skatepants, Candy, Nora Gretz, and Alicia Brains of the Atlanta Rollergirls prepare to skate in the Lantern Parade.The lantern parade passes beneath the Virginia Ave. bridge on the Atlanta BeltLine.Michael HospChantelle Rytter, founder of the Atlanta BeltLine Lantern Parade, awaits the start of the 2016 parade.Asia, Ayla, Kaylee, Cherish, and Freida are ready for the parade.The Wasted Potential Brass Band marches along the Atlanta BeltLine.Anna Maria carries a Stranger Things themed lantern in the parade.The lantern parade passes beneath Freedom Parkway on the Atlanta BeltLine.Members of the Atlanta Rollergirls pose in front of the giant phoenix lantern before the start of the parade.Participants in the Lantern Parade carry an octopus lantern along the BeltLine.The Black Sheep Ensemble marches in the Lantern Parade.Katherine Callahan and Joy Ayer hang out with the giants before the parade.Donny and Lyla wait for the BeltLine Lantern Parade to begin.Members of the Wasted Potential Brass Band march in the lantern parade.Hundreds of people watch the lantern parade beneath the Freedom Parkway overpass.Zoie prepares her Dalek lantern for the start of the BeltLine parade.Ananya Banthia, Katherine Pham, Jackson Morgan, and David Golladay carry Lord of the Rings themed lanterns for the parade.Thousands gather at the start of the Lantern Parade.A winged pig awaits the start of the Atlanta BeltLine Lantern Parade.