While routinely scrolling through my Facebook feed, I stumbled across a peculiar ad and decided to click on the link. A lantern festival was coming to my area. I was thrilled because this was exactly the kind of adventure I was looking for in my life. After doing some background research by watching way more YouTube videos on lantern fests than I probably should, I bought tickets for my boyfriend and I.
The tickets were a really good deal because they each included entrance to the event, a paper lantern with supplies to decorate it, and a s’mores kit. The items were distributed in tents right inside of the gates. Once we got everything we needed, we explored the area until we found the best spot to camp out on. There were over 10,000 people at the event and the lively energy was unbeatable. Tiki torches and fire pits lit up the crowd as a DJ entertained and bands played.
Eagerly awaiting sundown, people made s’mores and decorated their lanterns. These lanterns were embellished with anything from quotes, to drawings, to aspirations, and even tributes to loved ones that have passed.
Finally, it was time to light our lanterns. This was the moment everyone had been waiting for and it was better than I ever could have imagined. Seeing the beautiful lanterns illuminate the dark sky was both mesmerizing and surreal. To top it off, the DJ played the song from the lantern scene in Disney’s Tangled.
This was truly one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in my eighteen years. I would highly recommend going to a lantern festival at least once in your life. You definitely won’t regret it!