Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

St Martin's lantern stick

Updated: 21 October 2026

A St Martin's lantern stick is the pole a child carries on a night walk, with a paper lantern and a battery light, not a lantern you release into the sky. In the UK that job turns up on St Martin's and Martinmas, on Halloween processions, and on Christmas walks. The nights differ. The stick decision does not. The [lantern stick comparison](/hub/outdoor-fire-pits/lantern-stick) holds the model table. This page is the route: what can leave the house, and what should stay on the craft table. Peter F. wrote it on 20 October 2026 from the captured amazon.co.uk listings and from UK fire-service guidance, not from a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A St Martin's lantern stick is the pole a child carries on a night walk, with a paper lantern and a battery light, not a lantern you release into the sky.

Our top picks

Zerodeko Zerodeko 30 plain poles, about 27 cm

Best overall

Zerodeko Zerodeko 30 plain poles, about 27 cm
6.1/10about £7.99
View offer
Aomig Aomig red and blue LED sticks, 40 cm

Rank 2

Aomig Aomig red and blue LED sticks, 40 cm
7.8/10about £6.89
View offer
Aomig Aomig jelly LED sticks, 40 cm

Best value

Aomig Aomig jelly LED sticks, 40 cm
6.6/10about £6.59
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.St Martin, Martinmas, Halloween, Christmas
  2. 2.A 40 cm-class stick, not a craft handful
  3. 3.Battery light, not a candle and not a sky lantern
  4. 4.When the walk is no longer a party stick

St Martin, Martinmas, Halloween, Christmas

St Martin's day is the lantern walk many UK families mean when they search for a stick in autumn. Martinmas, on the UK pages that name it, falls on 11 November and uses the same carried lantern. Halloween processions and Christmas walks ask for the same object: a light you hold, on a pole. What changes is the organiser's rule. Oakham's Magical Lantern Walk on 8 November 2025 allowed battery-operated lights only. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service says small children should not carry a naked-flame lantern and prefers an LED. That is about a flame in a child's hand, not a ban on every adult candle procession. Sky lanterns are a different product. The National Fire Chiefs Council says not to release them. A carried stick stays in the hand.

A 40 cm-class stick, not a craft handful

For a walking child, take about 40 cm, a hook, a separate paper lantern, and cells sorted the day before. Aomig is that stick: a hook, a warm white LED, two AA cells not included, at £6.89 for red and blue or £6.59 for jelly and flag. Only red and blue can own 2024 reviews. The other colours repeat 4.5 from 60 and were first available on 11 August 2025. Silkwish is 39 cm with fitted button cells, at £14.84 and with no reviews. The door is not described, so do not hand it to a toddler. ANCLLO names St Martin's parades at £3.99 and states neither length nor hook. Zerodeko at about 27 cm and WRITWAA at 26.5 cm stay on the table. Under 30 cm is a rule of thumb, not a British Standard.
Zerodeko Zerodeko 30 plain poles, about 27 cm

Testsieger

Zerodeko Zerodeko 30 plain poles, about 27 cm
6.1/10about £7.99
View offer

Battery light, not a candle and not a sky lantern

Carry a battery light. Royal Berkshire prefers an LED to a naked flame for this kind of celebration, and says small children should not carry a naked-flame lantern. An LED removes that flame. It does not make the paper non-combustible, and a UK review on the Aomig sample still describes exposed wires. If the event, like Oakham in 2025, allows battery lights only, a candle is out even when a craft page shows tea lights. A sky lantern is the other mix-up. West Midlands Fire Service, like the National Fire Chiefs Council, is talking about lanterns you release. A 40 cm stick does not license a release. Fitting eight AA cells is on the how to use page.

When the walk is no longer a party stick

A large willow lantern needs a cane or a bamboo pole through the centre and a battery light you can still reach. Leamington Lantern Parade describes that build. An Aomig hook will not substitute for it. A lantern that loads a neck or a back should not go on a child's shoulder for a mile of pavement. A procession on the public highway needs the organiser's plan, not a longer plastic pole. If you are still choosing length and cells, the buying guide keeps the forks. For lit or plain, use LED lantern stick or a plain pole.

Common questions

What stick do you carry on a St Martin's walk?
Carry a battery-lit stick of about 40 cm with a hook, and buy the paper lantern separately. In this set that is an Aomig pack, with two AA cells per stick that are not in the box. Silkwish is 39 cm if an adult is happy with fitted button cells and an undescribed door. Do not carry Zerodeko or WRITWAA on the route. They are about 26 to 27 cm and have no light.
Is Martinmas the same job?
Yes, for the stick. Martinmas on 11 November, on the UK pages that use the name, is the same carried lantern as a St Martin's walk. You still want a 40 cm-class pole, a hook, a separate lantern, and a battery light. The date does not make a 26 cm craft handle long enough.
Can children carry a candle lantern?
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service says small children should not carry a naked-flame lantern. Prefer the LED in the stick, or a separate battery light. An LED does not make paper fireproof. If your event, such as Oakham's 2025 walk, allows battery lights only, a candle is out even when a craft blog still shows tea lights.
Are Halloween and Christmas the same stick?
For this decision, yes. A Halloween procession and a Christmas lantern walk still need a carried battery light on a pole long enough to clear the legs. The organiser can add rules. The short bamboo multipack remains a classroom handle on both nights.
Is a sky lantern a lantern stick?
No. A sky lantern is something people release. The National Fire Chiefs Council says not to release them. A lantern stick is a pole you carry, with the lantern still in your hand. The two products meet in search results and should not meet in the same basket.
Will a 26 cm pole do for the procession?
No. Zerodeko at about 27 cm and WRITWAA at 26.5 cm are craft handles. A rule of thumb, not a standard, is that under 30 cm will not hold a lantern clear of a walking child's legs. Use them at a table. Walk with a stated 39 to 40 cm stick.
What if the route uses the public highway?
Ask the organiser. A party stick does not settle road closure, stewards, or lighting. The same is true if the lantern is heavy enough to load a neck or a back, or if a school must set a candle policy. Those are not fixes you make by ordering a second four-pack.

Related pages

Best lantern stick

Lantern stick

Lantern stick buying guide: length, hook, batteries

How to use a lantern stick the evening before you go

LED lantern stick or a plain pole for a night walk

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, plus the amazon.co.uk listing facts in the display file. Shelf prices and star lines are those stored UK figures. No stick here is treated as certified or laboratory tested.

  1. GOV.UK: using button and coin batteries (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. Child Accident Prevention Trust: button batteries in an emergency (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. BSI: PAS 7055:2025 button and coin batteries (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011, Great Britain (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service: celebrating safely (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. National Fire Chiefs Council: sky lanterns (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. Leamington Lantern Parade: how to build a lantern (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk listings for the seven kept ASINs (retrieved 21 October 2026)