Copyright © 2026 OyList. All Rights Reserved.
Share
Items17
1
Hội An Old Town
Hoi An Full Moon Lantern Nights, every month
On the 14th night of each lunar month, which coincides with the full moon, Hoi An switches off the electric lights along the old town's main streets and lets lanterns do the work. Motorized vehicles are kept off those streets, so the evening becomes a slow walk past glowing shopfronts and the river. Vendors sell small paper lanterns with candles to set on the water, the easy way to take part and a gentler wish than any sky lantern. Because it comes around every month, it is the most flexible trip on this list: check the lunar calendar and stay the night in town rather than visiting on a day trip, since the glow only arrives after dark.
More about Hội An Old Town2
Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown
Nagasaki Lantern Festival, February
What began in 1994 as a modest Spring Festival held by the Chinese community in Shinchi Chinatown now spreads more than 15,000 lanterns across central Nagasaki for 17 days each February. The 2027 edition is set for February 5 to 21. Start at Minato Park and follow the lit streets toward Spectacles Bridge and Hamamachi, and time a visit for the Emperor's Parade, a recreated Qing-dynasty procession, or the Mazu Procession honoring the sea goddess. It suits travelers who want Lunar New Year lanterns in a compact, walkable city, with a long enough run that you are not tied to a single night.
More about Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown3
Taiwan Lantern Festival
Taiwan's national Lantern Festival moves to a new host each year, chosen by a selection committee on location, transport, safety and hosting ability, so every edition is a fresh build in a different part of the island. Chiayi County hosted in 2026, and Miaoli County takes its turn in 2027, provisionally from February 20 to March 7, with the lantern zones around the Miaoli high-speed rail station. Expect a giant main lantern, themed lantern zones and big evening crowds around the Lantern Festival, the 15th day of the lunar new year. Pair it with Pingxi, which releases its sky lanterns in the same season, and one trip shows you Taiwan's two ways of celebrating with light: displays you walk among, and lanterns you send up yourself.
More about Taiwan Lantern Festival4
Pingxi District
Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, Lantern Festival season
This is the sky lantern release people picture: paper lanterns on bamboo frames lifting off together from the hills of New Taipei. In 2026 the mass releases ran on two nights, February 27 at Pingxi and March 3 at Shifen, from 5 to 8 p.m., with one voucher covering a lantern for two to four people. The 2027 dates are not announced yet. Expect tens of thousands of people and packed Pingxi Line trains with long waits. It also carries the clearest environmental cost on this list: environmental groups say modern lanterns often do not burn completely and come down in nearby forests. Share one lantern rather than buying several, or just watch the release, which is the real spectacle anyway.
More about Pingxi District5
Yeondeunghoe
Lotus Lantern Festival, Seoul, around Buddha's Birthday
Seoul's lantern celebration is a moving river of light rather than a static display. In May 2026 around 50,000 participants carried some 100,000 handheld lanterns from Heunginjimun along Jongno, through the center of the old city, and even a few robot monks joined the march. The closing day brought cultural programs near Jogyesa Temple and an evening street celebration in Insa-dong. Claim a spot on Jongno early on parade night, when the crowds are thickest, and save the closing day for the slower, more hands-on side of the festival around the temple.
More about Yeondeunghoe6
Vesak
Vesak in Colombo and its suburbs, May full moon
Vesak honors the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and passing, and in Sri Lanka it fills the streets with handmade lanterns, called Vesak kudu, and pandals: huge illuminated panels that tell episodes from the Buddha's life. The zone around Gangaramaya Temple and Beira Lake, open nightly from 7 p.m. to past midnight in 2026, is one of Colombo's main displays. Look out too for the dansal, free food stalls set up for the festival, one of the most generous traditions on this list. The capital and its suburbs give the biggest version of the festival, but the main nights bring large crowds, road closures and one-way traffic, so walk between displays and dress modestly for temple visits.
More about Vesak7
Vivid Sydney
Vivid Sydney is an annual festival of light, music and ideas held across 23 nights, with an outdoor gallery of lighting sculptures around the harbor at Bennelong Point. Seeing the light installations is free, which makes it one of the best-value big light festivals once you have reached Sydney, and the 2027 edition runs from May 28 to June 19. It falls in the Southern Hemisphere's late fall and early winter, so darkness comes early and the installations glow from the start of the evening, easy to fit around a day of sightseeing. The music strand, Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House, is ticketed if you want a concert night as well; its 2027 program has not been announced yet.
More about Vivid Sydney8
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
Peace Message Lantern Floating, Hiroshima, August 6
On the evening of the anniversary of the atomic bombing, paper lanterns carrying written messages of peace are set on the Motoyasu River in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome. It is a memorial first and a spectacle second, and that is the reason to go: lanterns drifting past the ruined dome make the day's ceremonies feel personal rather than historical. Anyone is welcome to write a message on a lantern and float it, for a small charge paid at the reception desk, with volunteers helping to light it; expect a long line to reach the riverbank. Attend the ceremony in Peace Memorial Park earlier in the day too, keep the mood quiet by the water, and take part before you take photographs.
More about Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park9
Mid-Autumn Festival
Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong, September or October
Hong Kong gives the Mid-Autumn moon two very different kinds of light. The Lantern Carnival in Victoria Park, organized by the city's Leisure and Cultural Services Department, fills the park with glowing installations and performances for over a week, and in 2026 it ran from September 17 to 27, staying lit until midnight on Mid-Autumn night, September 25. That same night, the Tai Hang fire dragon, a 67-meter dragon studded with thousands of burning incense sticks, made its entrance into the park. Come on festival night for both, then wander back on a weeknight to see the lanterns with room to breathe. The date follows the lunar calendar, so check it before booking.
More about Mid-Autumn Festival10
Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival
Jinju's lanterns are rooted in war: the festival traces back to lanterns lit during the Battle of Jinjuseong Fortress in the Imjin War, used to stop Japanese troops wading across the Namgang River. Today thousands of floating lanterns fill the river below the fortress each October, and the 2026 edition ran from October 3 to 18. The lanterns are made of silk and are recyclable, which makes this one of the more responsible big lantern shows here. With more than two weeks of evenings, you can pick a quieter weeknight, then walk the fortress walls once the river is lit for the best view of the whole display.
More about Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival11
Festival of Lights (Berlin)
Berlin's Festival of Lights turns landmarks and squares into projection screens for ten October nights, from 7 to 11 p.m. The 2026 edition, its 22nd, ran from October 9 to 18 under the motto Colours of Love. Viewing the installations in public space is free, with paid bus, boat and walking tours for anyone who wants a guide, plus a ticketed projection show at Berlin Cathedral. It is the best pick here for a city break with light as the bonus: sightsee by day, walk the illuminated landmarks at night, and never plan around one fixed release time or a single crowded viewpoint.
More about Festival of Lights (Berlin)12
Diwali
Diwali in Jaipur, October or November
Diwali is lit across India, but Jaipur makes a show of its markets: the pink facades of Johari Bazaar, Bapu Bazaar, Tripolia and Chandpole and the shopfronts of MI Road glow with lights that traders' associations put up each year, and in 2026 the city ran decoration contests for homes and shops. On the night, the walled city is packed from 7 p.m. to midnight and closed to most vehicles, so walk in early. Firecracker smoke builds up after dark, and anyone with asthma is better off indoors during the heaviest bursting; a rooftop or hotel window is the calmer view. Diwali fell on November 8 in 2026, and the date moves each year with the lunar calendar.
More about Diwali13
GLOW Festival Eindhoven
GLOW is a free light art festival in Eindhoven's streets, laid out as a walking route of around five kilometers that you can join anywhere. The 2026 edition, themed Connect, runs for eight nights from November 7 to 14, open from 6:30 to 11 p.m. in the city, with more artworks in nearby towns and a drone show at Philips Stadium that costs just 2 euros. It draws hundreds of thousands of visitors and the organizers warn of traffic congestion, so arrive by train. It suits anyone who cares how light art is made more than how big it is: the works sit in ordinary streets, close enough to study, and the whole route fits into one evening.
More about GLOW Festival Eindhoven14
Yi Peng festival
Yi Peng and Loy Krathong in Chiang Mai, November full moon
Chiang Mai's festival runs over three nights: krathong offerings floated on the Ping River and khom loi, the sky lanterns of Yi Peng. In 2026 Loy Krathong falls on November 24, with the city celebrating from November 23 to 25. The famous mass releases are ticketed events outside the city, in districts such as Mae Jo and Doi Saket, usually costing several thousand baht and selling out early. In town, releases are limited to set zones and times, with no-lantern zones around the airport, whose flights are often rescheduled on lantern nights. Floating a krathong between Nawarat Bridge and the Iron Bridge is the free, low-impact way to join in.
More about Yi Peng festival15
Dev Deepavali (Varanasi)
About two weeks after Diwali, on the full moon of the month of Kartik, Varanasi lines the steps of its ghats with lamps from Ravidas Ghat in the south to Raj Ghat in the north. Tradition holds that the gods themselves descend to Kashi to bathe in the Ganges that night, and the festival also celebrates Shiva's victory over the demon Tripurasura. In 2026 it falls on November 24. The widest view is from the river, so book a boat well ahead with a licensed operator and insist on life jackets. It is one of the busiest nights of the year in the city: reach the ghats in daylight and stay put once the lamps are lit.
More about Dev Deepavali (Varanasi)16
Amsterdam Light Festival
Amsterdam Light Festival places light artworks curated for each edition along the city's canals, and the best way to see them is from the water. The 15th edition runs from November 26, 2026 to January 17, 2027, with the lights on daily from 4:30 to 11 p.m. Cruises range from a simple canal boat to a private dinner cruise, and the festival app adds walking routes, including a kids' walk and a food walk. It overlaps the holiday season but has nothing to do with Christmas markets: this is contemporary art, and gliding past it in a low boat on a cold, dark evening is half the experience. Book a cruise slot ahead, since the boats are the main way in.
More about Amsterdam Light Festival17
Festival of Lights (Lyon)
Fête des Lumières, Lyon, early December
Lyon's festival goes back to 1852, when the inauguration of a statue of the Virgin on Fourvière hill was moved from September to December 8 because of flooding, and residents spontaneously lit thousands of candles in their windows. The city now builds large light installations around that tradition: the 2026 edition runs from December 5 to 8, with 27 works at 20 sites and close to two million visitors expected. Evenings run 7 to 11 p.m., except Sunday, December 6, from 6 to 10 p.m. With crowds that size, choose one district per night, and set a candle in your own window on the 8th if you can, the oldest way to take part.
More about Festival of Lights (Lyon)
