The Floating Lanterns View events Tickets
LED water lanterns glowing across calm water at sunset

Water lantern festivals across the United States

An evening your community will remember.

Decorate an LED-lit water lantern, share a night of music and food, and watch the water fill with hundreds of personal messages.

View upcoming events See how the evening works
LED-litWater lantern kits
Family-friendlyRegistration for every guest
Community-ledLocal music, food, and vendors
RetrievedPost-release cleanup crew

The experience

A meaningful night, made simple

Arrive early, explore local food and music, then personalize your lantern with a name, wish, drawing, or tribute. At the coordinated release, every lantern becomes part of one shared reflection across the water.

  1. 01

    Arrive and check in

    Bring your mobile ticket and review venue-specific arrival details before you leave home.

  2. 02

    Design your lantern

    Use the included marker to add words, names, or artwork to your LED-lit water lantern.

  3. 03

    Release together

    Follow the crew’s instructions for the coordinated release at the scheduled time.

  4. 04

    We retrieve lanterns

    After the program, our crew collects lanterns and removes event materials from the water.

Upcoming events

Find a water lantern festival near you

Each event page is the single source for its schedule, venue, tickets, weather updates, and accessibility details.

A single LED-lit paper lantern floating on dark water

Water events, clearly explained

Designed for the water. Collected after the release.

Current water events use LED-lit paper lanterns—not sky-lantern fuel cells or open flames. Our event crew monitors the release and retrieves lanterns from the water after the program.

We reuse or recycle LED components when practical and publish event-specific material and cleanup information as documentation becomes available.

Read our environmental approach

Frequently asked questions

Know before you glow

Who needs a ticket?

Everyone attending must be registered. Children six and under are free, but each child needs a complimentary registration and must attend with a ticketed adult.

What lights the lantern?

Water-event kits use an LED light. They do not use a flame or sky-lantern fuel cell.

Can I bring a chair?

Blankets and low-profile chairs are welcome unless the event page states otherwise. Strollers and wagons are permitted; pets are not, except trained service animals.

What happens in bad weather?

Events proceed in light rain when conditions are safe. Safety updates, delays, postponements, or cancellations are posted on the event page and sent to ticket holders by email.

What is Ticket Protection?

Ticket Protection is an optional $10 per order add-on available only with the original ticket order. Eligible requests must be received at least 48 hours before the event start time. Read the complete Refund Policy.

Partners and communities

Bring your organization into the evening

Apply as a vendor, food truck, performer, sponsor, or fundraising group through one clear partner path.

Explore partnerships