There’s A Chinese Water Lantern Festival Coming To Missouri And It’s Downright Magical
By Beth Price-Williams|Published April 27, 2021
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Beth Price-Williams
Author
A professional writer for more than two decades, Beth has lived in nearly a dozen states – from Missouri and Virginia to Connecticut and Vermont – and Toronto, Canada. In addition to traveling extensively in the U.S. and the U.K., she has a BA in Journalism from Point Park University (PA), a MA in Holocaust & Genocide Studies from Stockton University (NJ), and a Master of Professional Writing from Chatham University (PA). A writer and editor for Only In Your State since 2016, Beth grew up in and currently lives outside of Pittsburgh and when she’s not writing or hanging out with her bunnies, budgies, and chinchilla, she and her daughter are out chasing waterfalls.
Summer’s on the horizon, which means we’re already starting to plan for special events and activities. Fortunately, unlike the summer of 2020, events are slowly returning, promising an action-packed season. For one of the most magical events of the summer of 2021, plan your journey to the Water Lantern Festival in Missouri.
Mark your calendar for the evening of the Water Lantern Festival, coming to Kansas City on July 10, 2021. The evening’s festivities begin at 6 p.m. and run until 10:30 p.m.
Slated to be held at Frank A. Theis Park, across from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the festival invites guests to “celebrate life” by launching lanterns onto a body of water.
Each guest’s admission ticket comes with a lantern and a marker, so you can spend the time leading up to the launch decorating your lantern, if you want. Write your wishes; draw your dreams; the sky’s only as limited as your creativity.
At sunset guests will begin to launch their lanterns in the water. (The lanterns will later be cleaned up by the festival’s staff.) However, the fun begins long before that.
Gates open at 6 p.m., and you’re welcome to bring your own snacks and drinks. Or you can check out the food trucks that will be on hand. Other fun activities are also planned.
Lantern decorating officially begins at 7:30 p.m. Rice paper and wood are used to create the lanterns, with the inside carrying an LED candle, which will later be recycled or reused.
Do you plan on going to the Water Lantern Festival in Missouri this summer? Have you been to one in the past? Join the conversation in the comments! Since we’re talking about making future plans, have you decided what you’re going to do for the Great American Total Solar Eclipse, which will be seen over a portion of Missouri in 2024?
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