Rise Lantern Festival returns with better parking options, new location

Fiery lanterns will light up the evening sky when the Rise Lantern Festival returns on Saturday, Oct. 10. The festival represents “the collective elevation of peoples’ hopes, dreams, resolutions, goals and desires” by releasing paper lanterns into the sky.

Last year the event took place at the Jean dry lake bed south of Las Vegas with little thought put in to how to get 20,000 guests out of the desert. Guests waited for hours for limited shuttle buses and in some cases, people walked the eight miles from the site to Jean to retrieve their vehicles.

This year, the event moves to the Moapa River Reservation about 35 miles northeast of Las Vegas next to Valley of Fire State Park. Guests will be able to use a shuttle service or drive themselves.

“We started Rise to give a voice to peoples’ hopes and dreams, and we are excited to bring it back to this community again,” says Dan Hill, co-founder of Rise, in a press statement. “This is an event based on optimism and we are committed to making it one that our attendees cherish for a lifetime.”

The event uses fire-safe and biodegradable lanterns, which will be cleaned up within 48 hours of the end of the event. Last year, the event hauled away three Dumpsters of litter after the event.

Tickets for Rise Festival 2015 go on sale Thursday, June 18, for $59 for adults and $39 for kids 3-10. Those prices last for two weeks, jumping up to $80 to $100.

Guests will be able to park for $20 per vehicle or take a shuttle for $34 per person.

Tickets: Rise Lantern Festival