Burning the Clocks is winter solstice festival that takes place each year in Brighton, UK. Founded in 1993, the celebration centers round a procession of lanterns and costumes, made from withies (willow canes) and white tissuepaper, lead by local bands with a carnival atmosphere. The procession makes its way through Brighton city centre to the seafront where the festivities culminate in a lantern bonfire, accompanied by fireworks. The costumes all include a clockface to represent the passing of time, although each year has a slight change of theme.
Same Sky, an arts initiative first organised the event to commemorate the CoOp's 150th Birthday. They explain: "Burning the Clocks is an antidote to the excesses of the commercial Christmas. People gather together to make paper and willow lanterns to carry through their city and burn on the beach as a token for the end of the year ... The lantern makers become part of the show as they invest the lanterns with their wishes, hopes, and fears and then pass them into the fire. Same Sky are masters at creating new urban rituals to replace those traditional festivals that were lost in the dash to be new and non superstitious." http://www.burningtheclocks.co.uk Burning of the Clocks homepage