In the spirit of the Japanese ceremony Tōrō Nagashi, please join Shinzen Friendship Garden for our 39th annual floating lantern celebration on Saturday, August 17, 2024

Traditionally, this Japanese ceremony honors the memory of loved ones. During the festival of Obon, it is believed that ancestors come back to spend time with the living. On the final evening of the festival, paper lanterns are set afloat to accompany the spirits as they depart for another year.

Schedule of events:

3:00 pm – 6:00 pm Lantern decorating lakeside
3:00 pm – 8:00 pm Food Trucks: Kona Ice and Tachido Tusushi
7:00 pm Fresno Gumyo Taiko Drum performance
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm Lantern Ceremony & launch

Limited quantities of lanterns are available, please note – we cannot allow guests to bring and float their own lanterns. Lanterns sell out each year, so be sure to purchase yours early! Each lantern purchase includes the lantern and up to four (4) names to be read by the event emceee during the lantern launch.

During the lantern ceremony, the naming of the honorees will be done in the order in which the lantern orders are received. The earlier your order is submitted, the earlier the calling of your lantern.