A Melbourne winter night was lit up recently by a vibrant multicultural lantern festival now in its third year.

The ‘Luminous Festival’ played out along the Yarra River and around Federation Market on the southern edge of the CBD.

Around 500 people from more than 30 migrant and refugee communities came together to celebrate Melbourne’s incredible diversity of cultures, heritages and histories.

The parade saw drummers and musicians lead lantern holding community members around the Federation Square precinct.

Organised by migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia in partnership with the City of Melbourne, the parade is aimed at bringing communities together to celebrate diversity and forge connections between communities.

Ahead of the parade, over the past few weeks, lantern making workshops have been held at the multicultural hub bringing together dozens of people from more than 30 communities. The lantern makers have forged friendships and community bonds.

The event included performances from the Newa Pucha Nepalese band, the singing group Kaiga Tuvalu Victoria Youthand Maracatu Estrela do Mar Inc Brazilian drummers, showcasing their stories, traditions and cultural richness.

AMES Australia CEO Melinda Collinson said the event brought people together to share a spectacular evening of light, colour and conversation.

“The parade is a celebration of the contributions migrants and refugees make in our community and a celebration of the rich cultural diversity they bring,” Ms Collinson said.

“It is fitting that we walked behind lanterns. For thousands of years, lanterns have played an important role in social events and religious festivals for almost all cultures and societies.

“They light the way for guests, and they illuminate the darkness. Lanterns are a symbol of good luck, health and prosperity.

“So, they are fitting symbol for the parade and for AMES Australia’s work in supporting migrants and refugees build successful new lives in Australia,” Ms Collinson said.

City of Melbourne Deputy Mayor Roshena Campbell told the event that Melbourne was a city that welcomed people from every community.

“We are a city that welcomes everyone. Multicultural communities make the city more vibrant and more interesting; and there is also an economic benefit welcoming people from so many parts of the world,” Cr Campbell said.

International student Keira Chen, who took part in the parade, said it was important to bring together newly arrived communities and connect them with the broader community.

“It has been important for me to connect with other communities and with the broader Australian community. I think this is really important that people and communities feel connected to each other,” Keira said.

“I think the idea of a lantern festival is cool. Lanterns are symbolic of lighting the way and finding pathways; they are also symbolic of knowledge and learning which is important to me. They have been important tools used in all communities and peoples for thousands of years, so they naturally are a unifying symbol,” she said.