Reno's 2016 LanternFest
- meems
- Sep 29, 2016
- 3 min read
On Saturday, September 24th, some of my family members made a short trip to Reno to celebrate my cousin's birthday. She wanted to go to the LanternFest so a month before, we bought our tickets for $40 online. We were excited and none of us have ever experienced the festival before so we were all excited. We booked our hotel for one night, packed our bags and some snacks, and were on our way!
Before we headed to the lantern festival, we wanted to surprise our cousin by decorating her hotel room. She is a HUGE Beyonce fan so we set out to surprise her with a Beyonce themed birthday weekend! She was SO surprised and loved every detail! Here are some pictures:
We set out to make the above picture come to life. * Excuse my drawing, I'm not artistic at all!
Happy Slay Day Kayonce!
Drunk in Love
We've been drankin'!
My Cricut went to work and creating the decor was extremely fun!
My cousin loved her surprise and we all Slayed!
Now back to the LanternFest!
The ticket is originally $30 when you buy it online however, after taxes and fees, it comes out to a little over $40. I also heard some people bought it way earlier for a bit cheaper. It is about $50 if you decide to buy it at the door. Also, this event is at the Fernley Speedway which is about 40 minutes without traffic from the Grand Sierra Resort. Adding the extremely insane traffic is another 40 minutes to an hour. Give yourself time! Doors opened at 3 PM but we didn't get there until about 6:30 after leaving our hotel at 5:15. Parking was $5.
*side note, if you can, try to park in the lot closest to the exit. I promise you, it will make leaving easier when fighting the traffic. We got directed to the back and it took us FOREVER to get out.
Keep in mind, there are many parking lots and a few different entrances so if you're meeting people up, I recommend looking for the huge blow up owl that has the words "Lantern Festival" on it. There were 2 of them but look for the one with the words.
The $40 you pay provides you with one lantern (or glow-sticks for kids), a box with crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows for smores, a stick to roast your mellows, and a sharpie to write on your lantern. Also, go early if you can because there are fire pits and it's first come first serve. My cousin's friends went first and were very generous in sharing their pit.
Us and our birthday girl!!
On my lantern were my hopes and dreams, my wishes, my goals, and my messages to the ones that I love that are no longer here today. That day was the 6 year anniversary of my high school best friend's death and I felt closer to him at this event. #RIPJimmyD
My cousin in law hopes to have 6 kids and get officially married in Hawaii :)
My cousins and I enjoying the music, company, and patiently waiting for the time to light our lanterns.
After waiting for a while, at 8:15ish, they finally demonstrated what to do, and allowed for us to light our lanterns!
Lighting up the sky with our hopes and dreams.
The most magical moment is when all 8,000 of us lit our lanterns up at once. No words could describe that moment.
I was almost burnt. TWICE!!
Marveling at life's beauty.
My take on the festival:
It is something you must experience at least some point in your life. A week later and I'm still reminiscing about that night. Once you start lighting up your lanterns, it is over in about 30 minutes but that 30 minutes of your life is just so amazing and magical. No pictures or videos could ever do it justice. If you decide you want to embark on this next year, I recommend buying your tickets early, packing snacks and chairs or a mat to sit on, bring some beverages, pack your camera, and be prepared for a wonderful experience. You won't regret it.
Comments