Because the festival takes up the entire month, there are a variety of events one can attend and view in different places throughout the city. In the past there was only one float procession on the 17 th, but recently the preservation association has returned the festival to a form closer to the original with two separate parades of floats.

Come experience the Water Lantern Festival with your friends and family as the floating lanterns reflect messages of love, hope, and happiness upon the water. Because of merchant involvement, items from outside Japan were obtained via the Silk Road from the 16 th century onwards, and some floats display artwork from the Middle East and Europe on their sides.ĭespite numerous incidents of damage by fire and war, the Gion Festival has managed to recover every time. Water Lantern Festival is coming to light the water in Utah County. Watch your unique lantern drift out into the water as it joins other lanterns carrying hope, love, happiness, healing, peace, and connection. Though it had its roots as a purification ritual, the Gion Matsuri eventually became a way in which merchants and the wealthy citizens of the Kamakura period could show off ostentatiously to their neighbors, and the level of luxury and elaborate details that went into the various floats rose dramatically. As the sun begins to set on the evening sky, the Water Lantern Festival begins to shine with the launch of the lanterns onto the water as we Light The Water together. Each child age 4-12 requires a kids ticket. Kids tickets include a Fun Kit (contents vary by event location), and no lantern. A single adult ticket cannot be shared between two people. Each person age 13+ requires an adult ticket. Since then it has only been interrupted once, for 33 years during the Ōnin Wars. Each adult ticket includes one lantern and a marker, which you will receive when you check-in at the event. The festival has been held annually since 970, and with floats from 999. So if you want a good view, get there earlier.The Gion Matsuri has a history dating back all the way to 869, when the emperor dedicated 66 pikes and ordered prayers and festivities be carried out at Yasaka Shrine in order to appease the gods and prevent plague from ravaging the city. We turned up quite late (just in time for the light show) back in 2019 and ended up stuck behind a dozen rows of eager onlookers. Once you’re there, you need to head southeast after you leave the station to see the area with the boats and fireworks. The easiest way to get there is with the U1 subway, which crosses the city centre (at Karlsplatz, Stephansplatz and Schwedenplatz stations) and goes out to the Alte Donau station, which is slap bang in the middle of (guess?) the Alte Donau. The Alte Donau is the green stretch of water marked in the map below. The last event had a small festival area with food trucks, mobile coffee stations, drinks booths, and regular salsa displays and drum band marches. Other activities start from the afternoon.

Those fireworks tend to appear late in the evening, around 9.45pm. Water Lantern Festival is coming to light the water in Omaha.

If bad weather strikes, the date normally shifts back a week.

Watch this space or the Alte Donau website (see below). I don’t have dates just yet for the 2024 edition. You can simply watch and listen from the shore, hire a boat yourself or sit outside one of the bars or restaurants to enjoy the view (needless to say, you’ll need to reserve a table early if you plan on a seat). NC Chinese Lantern Festival This ticket allows you early entry and reduced crowds as you witness the lanterns come to life in the night sky. Radio Wien is Vienna’s local state radio station and adds an audio element to the event through their own party boat and DJ. (View across the Alte Donau to the UN complex)

Floating lantern festival 2021