Water Lantern Festival – Holiday Edition at Santee Lakes

Advance tickets required (organizer expects a sell-out). Parking limited, $10 per vehicle paid to the venue.

About this adventure

A two-day holiday lantern festival on the lakes of Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve. Gates open at 2 p.m. for food trucks, music and lawn games; at 4:30 p.m. everyone decorates a paper lantern with markers and messages, and from 5 to 7 p.m. the lanterns, lit with LED candles, are set afloat on the water as the sun goes down. It is a calm, slow-paced evening that works well for families with school-age children who can sit and decorate, and for toddlers who just enjoy the glowing water. Each ticket covers festival access and one lantern kit (lantern, LED candle and markers) plus a small gift pack, so families decide how many lanterns they want. Bring a blanket or camping chairs, warm layers for the December evening, bug spray and a camera. The organizer expects the event to sell out and raises prices in stages, so buying early is cheaper; parking at the preserve is charged separately by the venue.