Before the Festival


Okay... I have my SD card, the camera battery is charged, the picnic pack is ready, and so is Zelda's diaper bag.... The checklist runs through my mind. Jeremiah has already packed the car, our daughter is buckled into her carseat, and I'm just trying to make sure we aren't forgetting anything. Check, check, check, and check. Looks like we are all clear - per usual, my husband is amazing and hasn't forgotten a single thing.


Locking the door behind me, I go out into the garage, which is already open. I slide into the driver's seat of our Toyota 2023 Highlander. Jeremiah is sitting in the middle row next to our daughter, each in their own captain's seats. I put on my sunglasses and check my mirrors.


"Ready?" I ask.

"Set!" Jeremiah declares before Zelda can jump in with her bit - she often likes to try to answer faster than him.

"GO!" yells Zelda, carrying the O for a few seconds long. Her enthusiasm is top tier.


We make the journey out to Carpenter Park in Thornton, Colorado.

Getting Settled


We park near the event and unload the car. Last year we didn't bring nearly as much stuff, but we have a toddler to entertain, and we learned a few things from last year.


  1. Sitting on the ground for hours isn't that comfortable.
  2. Snacks and something to eat as a meal are necessary unless you want to stand in line a long time at a food truck.
  3. Extra water is a must.
  4. The park is mostly in the sun until after 20:00.


We load the wagon we brought along with the two camping chairs, the blanket, picnic pack, diaper bag, my satchel, two umbrellas, Zelda's doll named Julie, her purse (full of toys), and her magnet box. Jeremiah takes the handle of the wagon, and I take the hand of our child, and we march toward the spot we had last year. It's in front of a retaining wall, close to the water, with a few trees behind it that will provide some shade.


We only purchased one lantern kit this year. We didn't see the need to buy two. Each lantern kit comes with a paper lantern, a standard deck of playing cards, a deck of conversation cards, a marker, and instructions for a scavenger hunt. There are so many decks of playing cards at home, we don't care about the conversation cards or the scavenger hunt, so one lantern kit is plenty for us.


Jeremiah spreads out the blanket and sets our chairs up while Zelda holds my hand and climbs along the retaining wall. When he is done setting up our "blanket home", he goes off to get the kit and check out vendors. I lather sunscreen onto my Little Starling, and let her run around the grassy area. Jeremiah soon returns, and we decide I'll decorate one side, he'll decorate the second, Zelda will decorate the third, and we will all take turns decorating the fourth.


I do my side first as Jeremiah entertains the toddler. When I hand the lantern over and Zelda does her side, I get down and start taking pictures of her coloring. I also got a photograph of her watching her father intently, as he worked on his side.

A man in a purple Colorado shirt sits on a blanket outdoors writing with a young girl in a red dress.
Man in Colorado Rockies jersey writing in notebook while sitting outdoors on grass.

Play Time


We now have blanket neighbors, and Zelda is learning a bit about boundaries. She does great though, and has a dance party in front of our blanket home. When she starts to wander a bit further away, I suggest to Jeremiah that he take her to the playground. He takes her by the hand and leads her around the water, and I stay with our stuff. When they return, he lets me know that she really loves this playground. We'll definitely have to come back for more park playtime.

Toddler girl in red dress walking barefoot on green grass near a lake on a sunny day.

Water Lantern Festival


The event begins, and our lantern is now assembled. Zelda is doing a great job staying nearby, playing with her toys, and honestly, just vibing. We've given our blanket neighbors nicknames. To our right, we have "The Family" (a mom, dad, and two teenagers). To our left - "The Missing Couple" - they put their blanket down, asked us to watch their stuff and then disappeared. We'd find out later that they've been standing in line for alcohol. Surely that wasn't worth the long wait? On the other side of "The Missing Couple" is the "Smoochy Kiss" couple. I think the name speaks for itself.


We eat dinner together on our blanket, and wait for the sun to set. There's a lovely singer serenading us from across the water, and it's such a relaxing time. I snap pictures of our lantern before the sun sets. I drew a Starling and little bees for Zelda (Little Starling) and the embryos that we lost in our two rounds of IVF. Today is actually the day I miscarried four years ago, and I have a bee tattoo to remember BB, the baby we lost. The other embryos just never stuck - never even had a chance. Jeremiah wrote a list of people he's thankful for. Zelda created art, and we created a nature scene on the fourth side together.

Hand-held colorful bird artwork on canvas with bees, displayed outdoors at a community event on a sunny evening.
Person holding a handwritten gratitude sign at an outdoor event with crowd and green lawn in background.
Hand holding a child's colorful drawing of a tree with clouds and sun on a wooden easel at an outdoor park gathering.
Hand holding a child's colorful drawing of a tree with clouds and sun on a wooden easel at an outdoor park event.

There's magic in the Water Lantern Festival. Hundreds, maybe thousands of people show up. Many people put their hopes and dreams on the lanterns, some put their regrets, some their sorrows, some what they are thankful for, and some draw pictures. It feels very unifying to be at this kind of event. One message I keep seeing over and over again on the lanterns as I go through and edit photos, is that we all desire the same things in life.

  1. A home we own.
  2. A family (whatever that looks like for you).
  3. Financial success.
  4. To travel.

It's beautiful to know that we are all in this together, albeit in our individual journeys.

Young girl in red dress standing on green grass at an outdoor public event near a waterfront.
A serene harbor waterfront at dusk with a bench, reflective calm water, buildings, and decorative flags under a clear blue sky.
Glowing paper lanterns floating on dark water at night, illuminated in warm orange and green hues during a lantern festival.
Crowds of people relaxing on a grassy lakeside lawn at an outdoor evening event in a park.
Glowing paper lanterns float on dark water at night, with a person kneeling beside them in a serene lantern festival.
Glowing blue light sculpture at a nighttime outdoor gathering with city lights in the background.
Glowing paper lanterns floating on dark water at night, reflecting warm candlelight on the surface.
Glowing paper lanterns float on dark water at night, reflecting warm golden light on the rippling surface.
Glowing paper lanterns floating on dark water at night, creating a magical reflection of warm candlelight.
Glowing paper lanterns float on dark water at night, creating a serene and magical reflection on the river surface.
Glowing paper lanterns float on dark water at night, illuminated by candlelight in a serene memorial ceremony.

Lessons for Next Year


Here is what we packed:

  • Peanut butter
  • Grape Jelly
  • Bread
  • Snacks
  • Waters (plenty of reusable bottles)
  • Two camping chairs
  • Two umbrellas (hooked onto the arm of our camping chairs provided shade to our blanket home)
  • Large blanket
  • Camera
  • Pack of markers
  • Diaper bag
  • Toys
  • Wagon

Here is what we wish we packed:

  • A chair for Zelda (she kept stealing ours whenever we vacated - so now a kid-sized camping chair is on the list of gift ideas for her birthday)
  • More food besides PB+J - we will probably actually intentionally grocery shop for this event next year
  • Even more water bottles (seriously, it was very hot outside). The refill station only had warm water.


We honestly did pretty good for our second year. I'm so glad this is a new family tradition for us.

Find a Water Lantern Festival Near You


The Water Lantern Festival takes place internationally! To find when one will be taking place near you, visit their website.