Our fascination for lights and the night sky continue unabated as sky lantern festivals around the world add more meaning for those searching for answers from the vast unknown.
Thankfully, there are other ways to experience the magic of a sky lantern festival around the globe at different times of the year, thanks to trade, immigration and globalisation.
Plenty of these are found in Asia, with some examples of world-renowned cultural floating lantern fetes like Loy Krathong and Yi Peng in Thailand, or the Pingxi Lantern Festival in Taiwan.
Each of these festivals have their own quirks and cultural traditions, with sky lanterns made from different materials like rice paper and bamboo. The accompanying rituals and meanings behind the sky lanterns also differ, though common associations include love, hope, happiness and peace.
There is also a fair share of commercial lantern festivals that seek to recreate the radiant atmosphere for its sheer spectacle, with food trucks and live music in lieu of age-old traditions.
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Though there’s nothing wrong with having some fun basking in the romantic glow of thousands of sky lanterns, those with eco-friendly sensibilities should ensure that the sky lantern events they’re attending have a proper waste collection and disposal plan.
Just in case the recent furore over the Sentosa sky lantern festival — the event failed to lift-off due to a lack of proper fire safety measures — has given you inspiration for a better-planned celebration, read on for a list of sky lantern festivals around the world that are worth your time and dollar.
We’ve also included several floating lantern festivals, where illuminated candles are set afloat on a body of water instead of the sky.
Sky lantern festivals
1. Yi Peng, Thailand
Yi Peng is a sky lantern festival celebrated annually on the full moon of the Thai lunar calendar’s 12th month. Head to Chiang Mai for the rowdiest celebration, where thousands of illuminated khom loi (rice paper lanterns) will be released in unison as an offering to the sky.
It is believed that this offering will help cleanse one’s spirit and relieve ill fortunes for the year ahead.
In fact, you can expect the entire city of Chiang Mai to transform into a beautiful, light-filled paradise when the sky lantern festival arrives in tandem with Loy Krathong, probably the world’s most famous floating lantern festival (but more on that later).
When: 15 November 2024
2. St John’s Night, Poland
It’s not just Asia that boasts sky lantern festivals. You can celebrate it in Poland as well during St John’s Night, otherwise known as Kupala Night or Noc Kupaly. The lesser-known European sky lantern festival is held annually on the shortest night of the year, effectively ringing in the start of the summer solstice.
Expect feasts focusing on fertility and abundance as a part of raucous celebrations held throughout Polish cities, with other common rituals like jumping over bonfires, placing lit candles on flower wreaths into rivers and of course, releasing a flotilla of lanterns as fireworks cascade across the sky.
When: 23 June 2024
3. Pingxi Lantern Festival, Taiwan
As its name suggests, the Pingxi Lantern Festival in Taiwan is celebrated annually in the mountainous Pingxi District as a way of marking the first full moon of the lunar calendar and signalling the official end of Chinese New Year.
Yes, that means that festivities have already concluded for this year – though you can still head to the rural villages of Jingtong, Pingxi and most popularly, Shifen, to release your own auspicious sky lantern, as these three villages all offer the activity throughout the year.
It is customary to write down your wishes on the multi-hued lanterns (with each colour associated with certain attributes like luck or prosperity) in the hopes that they’ll be granted. Purveyors can be found up and down Shifen’s famed train tracks, meaning it’s easy to get a good photo op before releasing your sky lantern into the aether.
When: Late February to early March, though sky lanterns can be released all year round
4. RiSE Lantern Festival, USA
Thousands of biodegradable sky lanterns will soon dot the night sky above Nevada’s Mojave Desert, home to RiSE Lantern Festival in October.
Yes, this annual festival isn’t attached to any cultural traditions, but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying a beautiful moment with loved ones as you release illuminated sky lanterns – each guest gets two – carrying your well-wishes and messages into the upper atmosphere.
Expect plenty of gourmet grub, booze and live music at the festival venue too.
When: 4 - 5 October 2024
Floating lantern festivals
1. Loy Krathong, Thailand
Loy Krathong is perhaps the most well-known floating lantern festival in the world, with festivities coinciding with Yi Peng and the end of the main rice harvest season.
Revellers across Bangkok, Sukhothai and Chiang Mai gather near bodies of water to release krathong (a woven basket made out of banana stalks containing a candle and incense) as a way of saying thanks to the water goddess for a year’s worth of abundance.
Expect accompanying cultural activities like krathong-weaving competitions and dance performances to go along with the festival of light.
When: 15 November 2024
2. Hoi An Lantern Festival, Vietnam
Hoi An Lantern Festival, also known as the Full Moon Lantern Festival, is one of the most accessible lantern festivals to attend as it is held on the 14th day of the lunar calendar every month.
As part of the festivities, the entire city shuts off electric lighting at 8pm, leaving it illuminated only by the glow of the full moon and, of course, a host of multicoloured lanterns on every street corner.
Locals and tourists alike gather along the banks of the Hoai River to release floating paper lanterns into its waters, in line with Buddhist beliefs that performing the ritual under the full moon would bring about health, prosperity and happiness.
You can even hop onto a canoe to get closer to the action (and snap prettier pictures for social media).
When: For the rest of 2024, dates include 23 March, 22 April, 21 May, 19 June, 19 July, 17 August, 16 September, 16 October, 14 November, 14 December
3. Toro Nagashi, Japan
Toro Nagashi is a summer tradition in Japan, with festivities happening throughout the country around mid-August. Expect to see many a candle-lit toro (Japanese outdoor lantern) floating along the river should you happen to be passing by during the lantern festival.
These traditional lanterns, often hewn from stone or metal when placed as a permanent fixture at Japan’s many shrines, will most likely be made from a frame of lightweight bamboo or wood and covered with paper or fabric, allowing visitors to set off their own prayers for peace and commemorate the dearly departed.
When: Varies across Japan, in mid-August
4. Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawai'i, USA
The story behind the Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawai’i festival goes like this: The founder of the international Buddhist foundation Shinjo Ito was moved by America’s annual remembrance day for those who’ve fallen in service to the country.
He dreamed of holding a lantern floating festival for people to share their hopes for peace. It was eventually realised by his daughter and successor Shinso Ito.
The festival, held in conjunction with Memorial Day, usually takes place on the Ala Moana Beach in Hawaii, with local performances and symbolic rituals to accompany the floating lantern release.
When: 27 May 2024
