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Most days, if you walk by Allegheny Commons Park, you can observe a chess match, the farmer’s market, or even yoga. On Aug. 23, if you’re in proximity to Allegheny Commons Park during an event when Pittsburghers are being encouraged to come together, reflect, and make wishes, you could see Lake Elizabeth full of light at the Pittsburgh Water Lantern Festival.
Water lanterns and their use can be traced back to various parts of Asia. Throughout the centuries, their users have employed them as a vehicle to guide spirits back to the afterlife, a way to pay their respects to deceased loved ones, or a tool to worship certain deities. Water Lantern Festival Marketing Manager Tess Rowser tells Pittsburgh City Paper that festival attendees use the time and their lanterns to celebrate love, mourn, set their intentions, and strengthen their bonds with each other.
Since the Water Lantern Festival was founded in Utah in 2017 and began taking the festival to cities around the U.S. and countries abroad, Rowser says that, whether they’ve come to celebrate or mark a somber occasion, every festival attendee walks away with a memorable experience and an eco-friendly water lantern.
“It’s a memorable date night, a great family outing, or even just a great opportunity for a spontaneous event out with friends,” Rowser says. “We get people that come alone too to set intentions and goals. So whether you’re there to deeply reflect or just enjoy a beautiful night together, I think there’s an experience for everyone.”
In the years the festival has been operating it has visited cities such as Chicago, Portland, and Atlanta. In the case of Pittsburgh, the Water Lantern Festival has been visiting the Steel City since 2019, and, although Lake Elizabeth is a smaller body of water, Rowser says the festival typically hosts 2,500 attendees.
While the main event of the festival is the time after sundown when attendees set their water lanterns afloat, Rowser says there will be other activities to keep attendees entertained in the hours leading up to the lanterns being launched. Adults can look forward to music, flower crowns, sharing their motivation for participating in the festival, and patronizing local food trucks such as Kona Ice, Le’s Oriental, and the PittsBurgers Food Truck. For children and the occasional Disney devotee, a Rapunzel in attendance offering photo opportunities, sidewalk chalk, and bubbles.
“We’ll also have a family-friendly music area with live performances tailored to all ages, encouraging kids to dance and enjoy the festive atmosphere,” Rowser says. “Kids love decorating their lanterns, and we offer a ‘kids kit’ at our merch tent that includes additional coloring options, stickers, stencils, and other items.”
With regard to the water lanterns, upon arrival, attendees will be given a water lantern kit, which will include a lantern, a tea light, a marker, playing cards, and questions on cards that spur conversations between groups. Prior to the sunset, attendees will have time to decorate their water lanterns, write whatever message is relevant to their reason for attending, and share their reason for attending with other attendees.
“Someone will come up and share a message of hope or remembrance or love or connection or whatever it might be, and that kind of gets sets the tone for the rest of the night,” Rowser says. “This lasts for about 20 minutes, and then we have a curated meditation specifically set for water lantern festival guests.”
After the launch is complete, attendees will have the option of keeping their water lanterns, which are fashioned out of bamboo wood and biodegradable rice paper. For those uninterested, Rowser says, the event planners have employed a cleaning crew to ensure that everything is picked up, put away, and recycled. While the festival will take place rain or shine, for their own comfort, Rowser encourages attendees to bring whatever they need to feel comfortable for to full event, which could mean bringing umbrellas, ponchos, blankets, or even folding chairs.
In the end, whether someone attends the festival with their family, on a date, with friends, or alone, Rowser says that the event is designed in a way that attendees will take home a positive memory in addition to their lantern.
“When thousands of glowing lanterns float across the water, you can really feel like a collective moment of peace and hope,” Rowser says. “It’s incredibly moving, and no two events are the same because every space kind of brings its own, different personality and meaning to it. Some are more celebratory, some are more reflective.”
Pittsburgh Water Lantern Festival. Saturday, Aug. 23, 5:30-9:30 p.m. Allegheny Commons Park. $24.99-79.16. waterlanternfestival.com/events/pittsburgh.
This article appears in Aug 13-19, 2025.
