The nationally recognized Water Lantern Festival presents stunning, interactive events in more than 150 cities around the world, from Melbourne to Buenos Aires. Here in California, the festival has announced 4 events so far for 2026, one of which is coming up this month near L.A.
Here’s a closer look at the next Water Lantern Festival in the San Fernando Valley.
San Fernando Valley Water Lantern Festival
The Water Lantern Festival presents its next California event on Saturday, April 18th, 2026, at the Hansen Dam Aquatic Center in California’s San Fernando Valley.
You can still get tickets to join the experience, which includes an eco-friendly lantern kit, entry to a scavenger hunt giveaway, and a gift pack.
Doors open at 5pm, when guests are welcome to enjoy an upbeat atmosphere, great food and live music. You can decorate your lantern with a personal message and then join the lantern launch on Hansen Dam’s swim lake at 8:30pm. The festival team collects each lantern and cleans up the area after the event.
Organizers recommend bringing a lawn chair, blanket, sunscreen, bug spray, and weather-appropriate clothes for the outdoor event.
Save the dates for more Water Lantern Festival events in California:
- May 16, 2026: Lake Elsinore
- June 20, 2026: Sacramento
- July 17, 2026: San Jose
Lantern festivals in Asia
While the Water Lantern Festival does not reference any specific cultural roots on its website, lantern festivals have long carried complex spiritual, seasonal, and communal meanings throughout Asia.
In China and Taiwan, the Ghost Festival and Zhongyuan Pu Du set lanterns afloat to guide and honor wandering spirits and ancestors. In Japan, summer Obon observances often feature toro nagashi, where families honor the dead by releasing paper lanterns in rivers. Loi Krathong and Yi Peng are Thai traditions where attendees release lanterns to pay respect to deities and seek good fortune.
The U.S. Water Lantern Festival is a contemporary event loosely inspired by traditions like these, with a focus on community, goodwill, and rejuvenation.
