Atlanta Beltline Lantern Parade Expands Route for 16th Edition
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Atlanta – September 15, 2026 -- The Atlanta Beltline Lantern Parade returns Sept. 19 for its 16th year with a route nearly half a mile longer than prior editions, extending the procession to almost two miles along the Beltline's Southwest Trail.
Parade route grows as Beltline corridor expansion continues
The event, launched in 2010 by resident artist Chantelle Rytter and her volunteer Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons, now stretches from Beulah Colbert Park through neighborhood streets to Lee + White, where it closes with the All-Band Puppet Jam. Organizers report attendance has grown from a few hundred participants at the trail's first completed segment to thousands today, tracking the phased buildout of the Beltline's 22-mile rail-to-trail corridor.