Update – May 22, 2025: The location for the Melbourne edition of this event has been confirmed as Queens Park in Moonee Ponds.
Melburnians always get around illuminated attractions, from Lightscape to Puffing Billy's magical Train of Lights, our city is often glowing with enchanting sights. This year, a brand-new event will light up our city, with the magic arrival of the viral Water Lantern Festival this autumn.
Inspired by traditional lantern festivals in China, Thailand and Vietnam, the Water Lantern Festival is a mesmerising celebration of love, hope and community. Since its debut in 2018, it has enchanted more than 1 million people in the USA, and this year it will embark on its first-ever Aussie tour, coming to Melbourne on May 30, 31 and June 1. The event was originally planned to be held at Albert Park Lake, but has since changed location to the picturesque Queens Park in Moonee Ponds.
The family-friendly event will kick off at 2:30pm, with attendees encouraged to come down early and enjoy food trucks, music and fun ambience. Then, every ticket holder will receive a floating lantern, an LED light and a marker to personalise their lantern with messages of love, hope and dreams. As the sun sets, everyone will gently launch their lanterns onto the water, creating a sparkling sea of light. Sustainability is a top priority for the festival, with each lantern crafted from a rice paper cover and a wooden base. To further minimise its environmental footprint, the festival reuses and recycles LED candles wherever possible, while the event team ensures every lantern is collected after the event.
The lantern festival has already dazzled crowds at the inaugural event in Sydney's Kogarah Bay, before holding events in Newcastle, Adelaide, Surfers Paradise and Brisbane. Now, Melbourne is the final stop on this glowing journey.
You can find out more about the Water Lantern Festival event in Melbourne and buy tickets on the website.
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