1996–2026
30 Years of Sharing the Light
Thirty years ago, Paper Starlights began with a handful of stars and no real idea where they might lead.
Since then, they have travelled to Christmas markets, independent shops, homes, weddings, festivals and extraordinary spaces across the UK.
They have introduced us to people who are still part of our story today. They have taken us to places we never expected to go. And they have given us three decades of colour, creativity and slightly improbable adventures.
So, for our 30th year, we’re looking back at the stars, people and moments that made Paper Starlights what it is and celebrating what comes next.
1996
It started in India
Paper Starlights began after Andy and Jules discovered handmade paper stars while travelling in India during Diwali.
1996
From one truck to markets across Britain
The first stars came home in an aluminium trunk before finding their way to festivals, independent shops and Christmas markets around the UK.
NEARLY 20 YEARS
Some familiar faces
Some of the people you’ll meet on our Christmas market stalls have been working alongside Paper Starlights for almost two decades.
FROM STALLS TO LANDMARKS
The stars kept travelling
Over the years our stars have appeared at weddings, events, shops and large-scale installations, from Christmas markets to extraordinary spaces.
2026
30 years of sharing the light
Thirty years later, we’re still designing, experimenting and wondering where the stars might take us next.
Stars from the Archive
Thirty years of pattern, colour and ideas
Over three decades, hundreds of star designs have passed through Paper Starlights.
Some became favourites for years. Some disappeared quietly into the archive. Some returned in new colours or inspired completely new designs.
For our 30th year, we’ve been opening boxes, looking through old photographs and rediscovering stars we haven’t thought about for a long time.
It has reminded us that every design belongs to a particular moment in the Paper Starlights story.
Thirty years on the road
From early festivals and makeshift displays to Christmas markets across Britain, the stars have always been at their best when people can see them glowing together.
Over the years, thousands of conversations have happened underneath them.
Customers have returned with stories about stars bought decades earlier. Children who visited our stalls are now bringing their own children. Familiar faces appear every Christmas.
That continuity is one of the things we love most about market life.
From market stalls to extraordinary spaces
The stars have also travelled much further than we expected.
What started on small market stalls has grown into weddings, shop windows, events and large-scale installations.
Seeing Paper Starlights transform a huge space is still slightly surreal.
The scale may have changed, but the idea hasn’t: use light, colour and pattern to make somewhere feel different for a moment.
30 years of favourites
Ask anyone at Paper Starlights to choose their favourite star and you’ll probably get a different answer.
Some favourites are old designs that disappeared years ago.
Others are stars associated with particular markets, seasons or people.
And every year, another design seems to become the one everyone wants.
For our anniversary, we’re celebrating some of the designs that have shaped Paper Starlights, alongside the new stars becoming part of the story now.
STORIES OF THE STARS · 1996–2026
Where did all the stars go?
For 30 years, Paper Starlights have found their way into homes, nurseries, gifts and family traditions.
Seven stars. Seven real customer stories.
Choose a star to open its story
YOUR STAR, YOUR STORY
Do you still have yours?
We'd love to know where your Paper Starlight ended up — and what it became part of.