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Jacksonville Water Lantern Festival
With many festivals celebrated every month in Jacksonville, if we talk about beauty, then the Jacksonville Water Lantern Festival must be at the top. Chinese culture, featuring massive lanterns, incredible cuisine, and inspiring performances, is performed in this six-week Chinese festival. This festival gathers lots of people, especially kids as they are amazed by the beauty in the sky. Hundred to thousand lanterns in the sky make an eye-gazing environment. It is one of the festivals in Jacksonville that shows the beauty of the sky at night.
This festival is known by many names like lights festivals, lantern festivals, water fest, Chinese lanterns or Water Lantern Festival. But this is the kind of festival that you can experience once in your life. Hundreds and thousands of lanterns floating in the water and rising in the sky is truly one of the best things to watch in your lifetime.
Have a lovely night with beautiful colors, shapes, and themes at the Jacksonville Water Lantern Festival. The moment you enter this festival, you will find colors, lanterns, and huge models that make the environment even more magical. Jacksonville Water Lantern Festival will legitimately give you vibes that you are standing in during the Chinese Lantern Festival. It is also voted as No 1 festival in Jacksonville.
Location:
Located near TIAA Bank Field 2-76 Gator Bowl Blvd, Jacksonville. The beauty of this restaurant will lift your soul high. From the entrance gate to the end you will find beautiful festivals everywhere.
Entrance
There are lanterns all over this place. At the entrance, you will see a huge display, which is followed by a long, movable dragon. The illumination lights up the starry night at this festival. They give you a brochure that provides a walk-through tour of all the lighting displays. At the entrance, there are many tents that sell various crafts like finger paintings, necklace charms, and hand blown art glass. Best thing about these tents is you can watch artists making your work in front of your eyes.
Water Lantern Festival Tickets
Prices at this popular festival change with time, so check the official site for more details. These are the facilities given with an adult ticket. Wristbands are necessary for entry into the festival area; these bands also give access to food trucks, Playing Cards, Conversation Cards, Floating lantern kit, Commemorative drawstring bag, Marker, LED candle
There is also youth and other tickets are also available at their page. You can check Event Schedules for Jacksonville Water Lantern Festival.
Upcoming Festival Dates
| Year | Date of Lantern Festival |
| 2025 | February 12 |
| 2026 | March 3 |
| 2027 | February 20 |
| 2028 | February 9 |
| 2029 | February 29 |
Opening
Gates of Jacksonville Water Lantern Festival opens at 5:30.
Family Time
From 5:30 to 9:30 you can fully enjoy yourself with your family. In that time you can have a meal from Food Trucks, listen to music or can have fun while exploring the festival.
Prepare your Lantern
In half an hour from 8:00 to 8:30 you can design and prepare your lentren before launching.
Lantern Launch
After customizing your lantern it’s time for you to launch your lantern. 8:30-9:30 is the time when you watch the beauty of thousands of lanterns in the sky. The beautiful view of the sky at this hour will forever be in your memory. Make sure you capture this mesmerizing moment in your camera.
Event End
After having a lot of fun, the Jacksonville Water Lantern Festival ends at 9:30.
The beauty of the Jacksonville Water Lantern Festival
This festival is a solid representation of how Lantern Festivals are celebrated in China. Their displays range from dragons, flowers, mermaids, castles and more. Colors are everywhere and massive lantern clouds take over the sky.
There are also activities like mini golf, simulator rides and face painting available at this festival. If you have your kids with you then they will surely enjoy this festival a lot.
Sustainability
What is more important than cleanliness! Jacksonville Water Lantern Festival make sure they take care of all the waste of lanterns and other things after the celebration. They also remove any kind of trash that is present in or close to the water. The LED candles are reused and recycled, and Lanterns used at this festival are made of wood and rice paper to make it as environmentally friendly as possible.
Conclusion
To sum up, the Jacksonville Water Lantern Festival is a kind of festival that will give you one on lifetime experience. Watch thousands of lanterns floating in water and flying in sky. The scene it creates is mesmerizing that it will lift in your head. There are lots of fun activities like rides and face paintings are also available in this festival. So, do take your kids with you. This festival is best place to go with your family.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Floating Lantern Festival celebrated?
Yuan Xiao Festival which is commonly known as the Lantern Festival is a holiday celebrated in China to honor their deceased ancestors. It is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month (Yuan).
What is the purpose of the water lantern?
The purpose of the water lights is to honor the gods, forgiveness from tragedies and to bring happiness. Young people with water lights pray for a happy union. The water lanterns are also said to guide the soul in water.
What is the floating lantern festival called?
Yuan Xiao Festival which is commonly known as the Lantern Festival is a holiday celebrated in China to honor their deceased ancestors. It is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month (Yuan).
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Good cheer to all on this beautiful day!!!!!
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