Lantern Fest

I have a little bit of a love for Tangled.  Of the Disney movies made in the past 20 or so years, it is hands down my favorite.  I've written shamelessly about it on several occasions and I think the best part of that film is the lantern scene.

Well, sometime last year I came across some photos on Instagram of the night sky filled with glowing lanterns and I immediately had two questions:

What was this?!?

Where could I see this for myself in person?!?

I made it my mission to locate such an event and more importantly, attend such an event.  The closest one I could find was in southeast Pennsylvania and it was scheduled for June 10.  I kept checking on the ticket availability and then one day the event page read, "Sold Out."  I was kicking myself for not buying the tickets when I'd had the chance before noticing a second date – June 11.  Whether that date was added or had been there all along without me noticing it, I cannot say, but I bought tickets for us immediately.

Thee only negative thing was that June 11 was a Sunday and the event was about a 3.5-hour drive from our house, and we both had to work the next morning.  However, if you've ever read some of our trip reports, you will know that this is far from the craziest thing we've ever done.

We left our house around 1:30 pm, which gave us plenty of time to drive there and include a stop at Earl of Sandwich for lunch.  If you have an Earl of Sandwich near you, that might not seem noteworthy, but the closest one to us is several hours away, so whenever we are headed in that direction, we make a point of stopping there for lunch!

We arrived at the festival around 5:30 and staked out a spot on the field.  We each received a box that contained a lantern, a lighter, a permanent marker, a Hershey's chocolate bar, marshmallows, and graham crackers, as well as a very long stick for roasting the marshmallows.  There was live music and a wide variety of food trucks, and the atmosphere was one of excitement as people settled down to decorate their lanterns and wait for the sun to set.

The DJ announced that we would be launching the lanterns at about 9:30 when the sky would be completely dark.  It was a beautiful evening with not a cloud in the sky and the anticipation could be felt throughout the crowd.  I overheard one of the staff members say that 9,000 tickets had been sold for the event, meaning 9,000 lanterns would be launched!

While we waited, I took a few Tangled-related photos and we decorated one of our two lanterns with the names of our five furry gals who have passed away.

When the time came, and people started launching their lanterns, I was mesmerized.  I cannot overstate that.  It was absolutely the most magical thing I have ever experienced.  Ever.  Not a single thing I've ever witnessed at any Disney park even comes close.  Silent tears were streaming down my face as I watched the sky fill with glowing lights.  It was nothing short of amazing.

I cannot recommend this experience strongly enough...if you ever have a chance to attend, do it!

We were back in the car and headed home at about 10:00, and as if the night wasn't already fabulous, we listened to last part of the third period of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals on the radio, so we heard the Penguins win the Stanley Cup!  What a great night!  While my team is definitely the Maple Leafs, I love Sidney Crosby something fierce and him winning his third Stanley Cup was not something I believed would happen this season, given all of the injuries Pittsburgh had to deal with.  While it would have been more exciting to watch it than to just listen to it, I have no complaints!  A great ending to a perfect night!

Happy Tails to you!