Add This to Your Bucket List: The Lantern Fest

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Lantern Fest takes place all across the U.S. Learn what it is and how you can join the fun. (Photo: Courtesy of The Lantern Fest)

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Chances are, you or least 12 people you know have taken part in a themed 5K or obstacle course within the past two years. (Heck, the thought of being splashed with colorful powders like a human tie-dye t-shirt was enough to sign up, and I consider running a form of Sisyphean torture.)

Now, though, there’s a whole new category of traveling group experiences—and absolutely no fitness skills are required! You do, however, have to have a slight tolerance for self-help.

Welcome to The Lantern Fest.

The event, which will take place in more than 150 cities across the country, brings people together to write their hopes, fears and, well, anything they want on a paper lantern, then collectively release them into the universe for a sight that’s both inspiring and Instagram-worthy. Just look at this:

Photo: Courtesy of The Lantern Fest
Photo: Courtesy of The Lantern Fest

And, as if that weren’t enough, there will be s’mores stations throughout the area. I repeat: S’mores stations. That alone could sell me.

Plus, you can cover yourself in glow-in-the-dark body paint and dance to music while noshing on food trucks’ fare, so in a sense, it’s kind of like a more family-friendly Burning Man. You know, minus the whole lasting-for-days and actually-burning-things parts. (Hopefully, the only thing you’ll toast at The Lantern Fest is a marshmallow.)

The lanterns themselves are biodegradable, and the event has a team that drives around afterward to collect the lantern remnants after they fall back to Earth. Plus, each event benefits a local charity.

Lantern Fest takes place all across the U.S. Learn what it is and how you can join the fun. (Photo: Courtesy of The Lantern Fest)
Photo: The Lantern Fest

If you’re looking for something to pull you out of your standard dinner-or-a-movie routine, this could be it. Plus, having something to look forward to on your calendar can let you enjoy the benefits of delayed gratification, where the anticipation of an exciting event can be just as thrilling as the event itself (no, really). Check out the list of upcoming cities and dates here.

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