Kindergarten Winter Festival
Kindergarten Winter Lantern Walk and Spiral
Friday 26 June 2026 | 5:30pm
All Kindergarten and Little Kindy children and their families are warmly invited to attend our Kindergarten Winter Festival.
This is a quiet seasonal festival, held in the deep of winter. The evening invites children and families into a mood of stillness, reflection, song and lantern light.
The festival has two parts:
- Winter Lantern Walk — for Kindergarten and Little Kindy children and families
- Winter Spiral — for full-time Kindergarten children
Little Kindy families are welcome to stay and watch the Winter Spiral if they wish.
What happens on the night?
Winter Lantern Walk
Please arrive at school by 5:30pm and meet outside the Office.
The mood of the evening is quiet and reflective, so we ask families to arrive on time and help children settle gently.
Once everyone has gathered, we will move quietly to the verandah to light the children’s lanterns. Families may also bring their own lanterns.
When the lanterns are lit, we will walk around the school together, singing winter songs.
The Lantern Walk will finish outside the Office.
At this point, Little Kindy children will head home with their lanterns.
Winter Spiral
After the Lantern Walk, the Winter Spiral will take place inside the Kindergarten classroom.
This part of the festival is for full-time Kindergarten children.
Little Kindy families are welcome to stay and watch as part of the audience if they wish.
Before going into the classroom, please collect your child’s hat, coat and gloves so you do not need to search for them in the dark later.
The children will leave their lanterns outside on the tables. They will then move quietly into the classroom and sit together as a Kindergarten group around the spiral.
Parents and friends can follow the children into the room and find a seat.
During the school day
On Friday 26 June, full-time Kindergarten children will spend the school day in the Class 1/2 room.
Families may choose to collect their child at 12:00 noon so they can rest, eat well, and return to school ready for the festival at 5:30pm.
This is optional.
Please send in greenery and flowers
The Kindergarten classroom will be transformed for the evening festival.
A spiral of green natives and small flowers will be carefully created on the classroom floor.
Families are asked to please send in greenery and flowers on Friday morning to help make the spiral.
What children should wear
For safety, children need to wear close-fitting clothes.
Please dress children in:
- trousers or leggings
- warm layers
- comfortable shoes
Please avoid dresses or skirts.
Long hair must be tied back and kept away from the face.
This is important because there will be open candle flames during the Winter Spiral.
Safety on the night
Parents and carers must keep babies, toddlers and younger children close at all times.
All children need to be supervised and kept away from the candle flames.
The mood inside the room will be very quiet. A parent choir will sing softly, but otherwise the atmosphere will be one of silence.
The meaning of the Winter Spiral
The Winter Festival marks the darkest time of the year.
It is a time for quiet, warmth, friendship and inner reflection.
During the Winter Spiral, each Kindergarten child will be given a candle held in an apple.
Each child will walk into the centre of the spiral and light their candle from the central flame. They will then walk back out of the spiral and place their candle along the path.
As the spiral gradually fills with light, the children experience a simple image of finding and carrying light through the darkness of winter.
After the festival
When each Kindergarten child has walked the spiral and placed their candle, the children will leave the room and wait on the verandah for their parents.
Each Kindergarten child will be given their lantern to take home.
Please keep the mood quiet as you leave and make your way home.
Please do not re-enter the room after the festival has finished.
Families may like to continue the quiet mood at home by using candlelight and keeping the evening calm until bedtime.
We look forward to sharing this special winter festival with you.