I am wondering why we don't have a lantern festival in August. This is one of the great Chinese and Asian harvest festivals.
We did? Right nearby? How was it?
"Just last week, on August 20th, a U.S.-based event company had a lantern festival outside Toronto. The Lights Festival was held on a farm in Six Nations on Aug. 20, despite community concerns around permissions and safety. Many ticket holders, some who came from more than 100 kilometres away, were turned back by Six Nations police, while others were able to reach the property and release lanterns.
Viive Events is the Utah-based company behind the The Lights Festival, where people light a lantern and let it fly through the sky. Festivals take place across the U.S. and Canada, and have triggered concerns before. The company held the event on private property, the Johnson Farm which was on the Six Nations Reserve.
Having it on the Reserve meant that safety laws were different and with this "loophole" 5,000 ticket holders would be able to fly their lanterns. Into the largest Carolinian forest in southern Ontario.
It was mayhem when the police evicted people. Refunds were demanded. No wonder, one person said she paid $122 for two tickets. Out of the supposed 5,000 tickets, it turns out that 300 lanterns did get into the air.
"We did everything that the venue had told us to do," said Drew Dunn, a manager with U.S.-based Viive Events.
There are more light festivals coming up by the same US company - Atlanta, Washington D.C., Utah, New York/New Jersey, Chicago and Denver. The one in New York/New Jersey is actually in Coatsville, Pennsylvania and very close to Kennett Square/Longwood gardens. The Washington DC area festival is in York Haven, PA. That's south of Harrisburg.
It seems a safer is a water lantern festival - and one was held recently in Welland, nearby. All went well there.
We have two versions today - quite a wonderful display at the Performing Arts Centre, and in the garden a few summers ago.
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