Updated: July 8, 2026
I’m a sucker for a good photo op.
That’s why I’m always jazzed when the Columbus Water Lantern Festival comes back around. This year it lands on Saturday, July 25, 2026, and it’s one of the prettiest nights on the summer calendar. Picture thousands of glowing, hand-decorated lanterns drifting out across the water after dark.
Quick heads-up before you punch it into your GPS: despite the “Columbus” name, the festival is out at Hoff Woods Park in Westerville (556 McCorkle Blvd), about 20 minutes northeast of downtown. It’s no longer on the Scioto Mile like it used to be, so plan the drive accordingly.
Date: Saturday, July 25, 2026
Location: Hoff Woods Park, 556 McCorkle Blvd, Westerville, OH 43082
Gates: 6 p.m. (event runs until 10)
Tickets: General admission starts around $30, and it climbs the closer you get to the date, so buy early. Family 4-packs drop it to about $25 a head.
At the festival, you’ll be given a lantern to decorate, then launch it into the water with everyone else’s to create a pretty stunning visual.
The lantern launch happens after dark, and it keeps going until everyone’s had the chance to send theirs out onto the water.
Here’s how the night runs. Gates open at 6 p.m. with food trucks, music, and fun to kick things off. Around 8:30 you’ll decorate your lantern (each one’s made from rice paper and wood, with an LED candle inside), and then the big moment comes between 9 and 10 p.m., when everyone launches together and the water fills up with light. It’s genuinely a sight.
After that, the crew makes sure the water is all cleaned up. In fact, the eco-friendly event cleans up more than just the lanterns.
The lanterns are biodegradable, so the crew collects every one after the launch, plus any other trash in and around the water, and the LED candles get reused. The festival also ties into Water.org’s mission of getting clean water and sanitation to families around the world, so the whole thing leaves the place cleaner than it found it.
Your ticket includes the lantern kit, the LED candle, markers to decorate with, and a little gift pack. It’s open to all ages and honestly perfect for a family night or a low-key date. Pack a blanket and get there a bit early to beat the parking crunch. For the current date, ticket tiers, and any weather updates, check the official Columbus Water Lantern Festival page.
