13 Jul Lantern Festival in Washington, DC: Review

Attending the lantern festival (aka Lights Fest) outside of Washington, DC is the perfect opportunity for a family outing, getting old friends back together, or date night. My boyfriend and I bought tickets for date night, and we had a fantastic time. The night was full of great food, beautiful lantern-filled skies, and laughter. Why laughter, you might ask? Well, I may or may not have failed on my first attempt to push my lantern into the sky. Instead of floating beautifully into the sky, it immediately floated into the ground and someone nearby saved it for me and pushed it back up. But do not worry, I have a few tips below so you can avoid the same incident on your first try!

If you are looking for other great experiences in the DC area, why not take a day trip to Harpers Ferry? The town boasts an array of historical landmarks as well as adventure activities. For example, you can hike the Maryland Heights Trail for a panoramic view of the town or go whitewater rafting down the river.

Contents:

1) Location for Lantern Festival, DC

2) Tickets

3) General Information

4) Sending Off the Lanterns

1) Location for Lantern Festival, DC

We attended the lantern festival for the Washington, DC area. However, even though it was advertised as the lantern festival for the DC area, it was not exactly in DC The location was the Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The drive from my apartment in Arlington, Virginia was around two hours. 

No matter whether you live in the DC area or are planning a visit, I highly recommend you go paddle boating around the Tidal Basin during cherry blossom season. Trust me, it is an experience you will not soon forget.

Nevertheless, please be aware that the location can change each year. It is best to look on the official website to double check. Just be aware it is possible the location will be one to two hours away from you, even if it is advertised for a specific city.

The reason for the location being far away from the city is that they need a location large enough to host hundreds and possibly even thousands of people. Additionally, they need the location to be next to a large, open field where the lanterns can then land after the flame burns out. Safety is their first priority, and thus they will only hold the Lights Fest in an appropriate location that meets their standards.

Watching the sunset at the lantern festival

2) Tickets

Tickets often go on sale a couple of months before the event. However, before the tickets go on sale, you have the option to “save your spot”. You provide your email, name, and phone number, and they then put on what they call their VIP list. Being added to this list essentially saves you a spot at the festival and provides you with first access to tickets once they officially go on sale. 

Tickets cost around $40 per person for an adult, which includes entry and a lantern kit. Children’s tickets are also available, but they do not include a lantern kit. Furthermore, the only add-on option for tickets is a portable personal campfire. If you wish to make s’mores or another delicious campfire snack, consider adding this to your ticket. The price is approximately $40 for the portable campfire. 

The lantern festival is the perfect opportunity for you to plan a date night (that is not incredibly expensive) with someone special. Moreover, there are a ton of possible date night ideas in nearby Arlington, VA. For example, you can picnic at Gravelly Point while the planes fly overhead. Start checking the ideas off your list!

Refund Insurance

Lastly, I purchased the refund insurance. Since we bought our tickets about two months in advance, there was a chance something could come up that impacted our ability to attend. The refund protection cost $3.99 per person, and it was worth it in my opinion for the added safety that I could get my money back if needed. 

Nothing but smiles before we send our lanterns off

3) General Information

When we arrived at the DC lantern festival, we checked in at the front table with our tickets and received a lantern kit. Then we headed towards the smell of delicious food, and we were pleasantly surprised with the amount of options available. The best way to describe the type of food would be…typical fair food. There were funnel cakes, pretzels, tacos, barbecue, and more! We grabbed some tacos and very much enjoyed them. 

Grabbing Food and Finding a Spot

Then we ventured to the speedway to find a place to sit. There were a lot of people there by the time we arrived, but we still found a nice spot to sit down. Bonus: it was close to a torch so we knew we would have easy access to light our lanterns later. I would definitely recommend bringing either a blanket or chairs, as the ground at this location was a mixture of grass and dirt. I thus did not want to sit down without a layer between myself and the ground. 

Arriving Early at the Lantern Festival in DC

Another recommendation is to arrive early – at least one hour before the sendoff time for the lanterns. Why? First, it is best to plan to arrive early in case of any traffic or unforeseen delays. Second, you need to plan a little time in your schedule to grab some food! Take advantage of the food options and food trucks they have available at the festival location. Third, it might take a couple of minutes to find a place to sit, especially if you arrive later. 

Additionally, there was a band on the stage when we arrived. They played music and were essentially the opener for the lantern send-off. 

Lighting our lantern to send into the sky

4) Sending Off the Lanterns – Lantern Festival, DC

Let me start off by saying that lighting the lanterns and pushing them out into the sky was a lot more difficult than I ever imagined. They make it look so easy in the movie Tangled, I just figured my experience would be as smooth as that. But let me break it down in detail for you.

If for some reason you are not able to attend due to ticket prices, location, transportation, etc., then create your own lantern festival with friends or family. Buy some water lanterns and send them off in a nearby pool or pond. While they are water instead of sky lanterns, you will still have a magical night.

Instructions

First, they provide instructions on everything you need to do to light and send off your lanterns in advance. Let me highlight two important facts, for I messed these both up with my lantern. One – you need to hold your lantern over the fire for a fair amount of time. Make sure it lights well. Two – remove your lantern from the fire and just hold it in the open air for a good couple of seconds. This allows the air to fully flow up into and around the lantern. Then you are ready to send it off into the sky. 

Lighting of the Torches

Second, they light the torches. At this point they ask everyone to wait to light their lanterns so that everyone can send them off together. However, as I am sure you can assume, people do not listen to directions. We saw lanterns start to float into the sky as soon as they lit the torches. 

Pushing our lantern off into the night sky

Lighting of the Lanterns 

Third, they give you the go ahead to light your lanterns and send them off into the sky. This is when the sky truly becomes full of lanterns. If you have seen the movie Tangled, the sky looks similar to the boat scene. However, do be aware there are not enough torches for everyone to light their lanterns at once. You thus might have to wait for a couple of minutes before lighting your lantern. Do not worry though, for the sky will be full of lanterns for the next 10 to 15 minutes, as there are so many others still waiting to light their lanterns along with you. 

This is when you put your lantern lighting skills to the test. Do not make the same mistakes as I did, as I pointed out earlier in the “instructions” section. As soon as my lantern was lit, I pushed it out into the sky. It then immediately went flying back to the ground. Thankfully someone near us ran over to it, grabbed it, and then pushed it back into the sky. It went flying off into the night. What I should have done was hold it in the open air for a couple of seconds to let the air circulate up inside of it before pushing it off. 

My boyfriend still had his lantern, and he was kind enough to let me send it off with him. We did this one correctly, and it went soaring into the sky, surrounded by hundreds of other lanterns. 

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Check out a walking trail in Washington DC: Hains Point Loop Trail in East Potomac Pack.

Or head down to Virginia Beach for some wildlife encounters: Kayaking with Dolphins in VA Beach.