Mark Your Calendar: Lantern Festivals Coming To Las Vegas And Northern Utah In 2024

February is the traditional time for the Lantern Festival. It’s a holiday celebrated in China and other Asian countries that Honors deceased ancestors on the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar new year. 

According to Britannica.com, “The Lantern Festival may originate as far back as the Han dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE) when Buddhist monks would light lanterns on the fifteenth day of the lunar new year in honor of the Buddha. The rite was later adopted by the general population and spread throughout China and other parts of Asia.” 

From Study CLI.org, along with lanterns, the holiday is also celebrated by eating tangyuan which are rice balls loaded with sweet fillings, lantern riddles, watching dragon and lion dances, and fireworks. 

There are a few festivals coming up in Las Vegas and Northern Utah in 2024. In Grantsville, the Lantern Festival at Deseret Park Complex takes place on May 24th. In Las Vegas, the Rise Festival celebrates its tenth anniversary October 4th-5th.