Don't blink if you're looking out for Coventry's Millennium Beacon - it's only going to be burning for 20 minutes.

The specially-designed beacon will be lit using Coventry's millennium flame as part of the city's New Year’s Eve celebrations.

The six-metres high, and three-metres wide beacon has been specially constructed by pyrotechnics experts Pa-Boom to be lit using the millennium flame, which was presented to the Lord Mayor earlier this month by Beacon Millennium.

The lighting ceremony will be the climax to the lights and lanterns procession.

The procession, which is made up of over 200 Coventry school children, leaves the Herbert Art Gallery at 5pm and makes its way round the city centre, ending at the Priory Stage near the Cathedral at 6pm.

Lord Mayor, Cllr Sheila Collins, will greet the procession and hand the millennium flame to one of the school children, who will then light the beacon.

The tree-like device, which will be next to the Priory Stage, is designed to be set off by the millennium flame lantern.

It will activate four candelabra-like levels of flame containers before lighting a central beacon at the top. 

The ceremony forms part of a national event where 32 cities who have received Millennium Commission funding for New Year’s Eve events will light beacons using millennium flames drawn from a mother flame lit last year.

Rae Hoole, Head of Events for event producers Coventry and Warwickshire Promotions said:

“The beacon lighting will form a dramatic end to the lights and lantern procession. The beacon has been specially built as a one-off design for the event and should look fantastic when lit."

SEE: [18 DEC 00] RANGOLI ALL THE RAGE FOR CITY CENTRE CELEBRATIONS
 

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