ALLENTOWN, Pa. – There’s been a nationwide surge in water lantern festivals, where organizers sell lanterns for patrons to float them on the water.
But the events typically drum up business with paid advertising through social media, targeted to the locations the upcoming festivals will be held.
One of those events — held by the company Water Lantern Festival — is slated for Allentown’s Cedar Beach Park on July 22, the city’s communications director, Genesis Ortega, confirmed Friday.
- The Water Lantern Festival is coming to Allentown on Saturday, July 22
- The event is slated to take place at Cedar Beach Park
- The event has a non-refundable ticket policy customers should be aware of, unless a "deluxe ticket" is purchased
How it works
Described as a family-friendly event “filled with fun, happiness, hope and great memories,” the idea is to “celebrate life together,” according to the company’s website.
Participants who purchase a ticket are given a wristband for entry into the festival area, with access to food trucks, one floating lantern kit, a marker, drawstring bag, playing cards, conversation cards and more. The conversation cards are to get to know your neighbor, according to the event website.
Festivalgoers are asked to decorate their lantern and launch it into the water at sunset, during the “lantern-launch window.”
Ortega said Allentown is coordinating city services with the Water Lantern Festival, but not event planning.
What it costs
An adult ticket (through May 24) is $26.98, and then bumps up. The regular price is $35.99 from May 25 until July 14. The price from July 15-21 is $45.99 and the day-of price is $55.99.
There are price structures for youth tickets as well, starting at $12.45.
But there’s also a catch.
Tickets are non-refundable unless you choose the “deluxe ticket” with ticket protection, which the company says will “protect your purchases from unforeseen circumstances.” The website says that the ticket price and any additional items purchases will be refunded, minus the processing and ticket protection fees. The ticket protection fee is also valid “up to 4 days prior to the event.”
Deluxe tickets for adults start at $42.99, and youth tickets start at $16.45.
LehighValleyNews.com reached out to the Water Lantern Festival for a better explanation on the ticket protection system, but didn’t receive an immediate request for comment.
Online complaints filed through the Better Business Bureau show Water Lantern Festival customers across the country have been unaware of the ticket protection options, and there have been several last-minute scheduling conflicts resulting in postponements where customers did not receive refunds. Other patrons complained the events are not gated and those without a ticket can still gain entry.
The company’s response to those complaints indicated that paying customers are required to check in at registration to receive their lantern kit and participate.
An environmental impact?
On its website, the Water Lantern Festival says it “goes to great lengths to ensure a cleaner, more beautiful environment.”
The website says the lanterns are eco-friendly and made from rice paper, and that it reuses and recycles LED candles when possible.
The price of the event also covers the cost of collecting and removing the lanterns from the water, as well as cleaning up trash, the website states.
Water Lantern Festival is a for-profit event, but its website states that it donates to local charities and non-profit organizations for each event and supports Water.org on the mission of providing safe water to people around the world.
The website does not specify which organizations or local charities The Water Lantern Festival plans to support in Allentown. Donations to Water.org are optional when purchasing tickets.
