Water Lantern Festival coming to Palm Desert in November; early bird tickets available now

Ema Sasic, Palm Springs Desert Sun
·2 min read

Palm Desert's Civic Center Park will be illuminated with hundreds of floating paper lanterns during the Water Lantern Festival on Nov. 13.

The family-friendly festival, which will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. at 43-900 San Pablo Ave., will include food trucks, music and time to decorate lanterns made of rice paper and wood before they're released into the park's tranquil waters. Most participants write messages of hope and love on their lanterns, which, after a difficult few years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, may be more important than ever.

Early bird tickets cost $25.99 for adults, but prospective attendees have until 11:59 p.m. Sept. 30 to secure those prices. Adult prices then go up to $35.99 until Nov. 5, $45.99 until Nov. 12 and $55.99 for day-of admission.

Elliot Qua, 2, puts a lantern in the water during a the Water Lantern Festival at Hafer Park in Edmond, Okla., Saturday, Aug., 20, 2022.
Elliot Qua, 2, puts a lantern in the water during a the Water Lantern Festival at Hafer Park in Edmond, Okla., Saturday, Aug., 20, 2022.

Each adult ticket includes a wristband for entry with access to food trucks, one floating lantern kit, marker, drawstring bag and scavenger hunt giveaway entry.

Youth (ages 8-14) tickets cost $11.99, while children up to 7 years old are free (they will still need a ticket for entry, which doesn't include a lantern kit). Also available are deluxe tickets that come with ticket protection for $39.99, and a date night special, that includes two adult tickets, for $64.99.

“This Water Lantern Festival creates a beautiful and unique way to share your hopes, dreams and aspirations,” said event director Nate Sorensen in a statement. “It’s a night that you will never forget.”

And don't worry, the website states all lanterns will be cleaned up by staff members, along with any trash that may have previously been in or around the water.

A lantern floats in the water during a the Water Lantern Festival at Hafer Park in Edmond, Okla., Saturday, Aug., 20, 2022.
A lantern floats in the water during a the Water Lantern Festival at Hafer Park in Edmond, Okla., Saturday, Aug., 20, 2022.

For more information, visit https://www.waterlanternfestival.com/palmsprings.php

The Water Lantern Festival began in 2018 with events in 34 cities with a combined attendance of over 130,000 participants, according to its website, and it's grown to more than 100 cities in the United States. It was voted the Best Cultural Festival in North America in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice awards.

Lantern festivals have been part of society for hundreds of years, and many Asian countries hold these annual events to remember ancestors, according to Britannica.

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Water Lantern Festival coming to Palm Desert in November