~ Japanese cultural experiences that educate & inspire ~
Join MORIKAMI for Japanese folk-dancing, drumming, an Ennichi street fair and iconic lantern floating ceremony in a fall festival in the spirit of Obon – Japan’s summer homage to ancestors who return for a brief visit to the living.
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✤ FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS ✤
◯ Experience an iconic lantern floating ceremony and firework display
◯ See traditional folk dancing and taiko drumming performances
◯ Enjoy the Ennichi Street Fair – vendors, games, activities and more
◯ Taste Japanese street fair food and drink
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✤ LANTERN FLOATING ✤
Lanterns sell out each and every year, so be sure to purchase yours early!
① Lanterns – $12 each
Lanterns for the toro nagashi (lantern floating) ceremony go on sale at the start of Lantern Festival. Each of more than 1,000 lanterns is hand-assembled by Morikami volunteers and staff the day of the festival. Limited quantities are available and cannot be purchased in advance, please note – guests are not allowed to bring and float their own lanterns.
② Tanzaku Slips – $1 each
Tanzaku slips adorn the shoryobune, meaning “boat for the spirits of the deceased.” The shoryobune is hand-crafted and decorated out of straw, wood and paper. During the lantern floating ceremony, the shoryobune is filled with tanzaku slips collected from visitors. Like the floating lanterns, the shoryobune flames symbolically guide the visiting spirits back to the otherworld.
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✤ ENTERTAINMENT ✤
Lantern Festival features rousing taiko drum performances by Fushu Daiko, kids’ activities [including a mask shop, a variety of games and a build your own guiding light lantern activity] traditional Japanese folk dancing and an all-day ennichi street fair.
At the end of the evening, visitors watch hundreds of paper lanterns—each lit by a single candle—dot Morikami Lake, against a sky of fireworks.
★ On the Matsuri Stage:
・Japanese Folk-Dancing 3:45pm | 5:15pm
・Taiko Drumming 4:30pm | 6:00pm | 7:00pm
★ Morikami Lake:
・Lantern Floating 7:30pm
・Farewell Fireworks 8:00pm
★ Yamato Station:
Explore the history of the Yamato Colony and the legacy of George Morikami. Meet the Morikami Curatorial Staff and learn more about Morikami's diverse Collections, thought-provoking exhibitions and innovative programs.
★ Commemorative t-shirt:
Bring your own t-shirt and get a FREE screen-print compliments of the Fine Print Shoppe with this year’s exclusive Lantern Festival design by Brian Reedy. Your first print is free, each additional print on items you provide is $5. You can also purchase a shirt with the design for $10.
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✤ FOOD & DRINK ✤
In order to accommodate the large amount of guests at the festival, festival food vendors, the beer garden and sake station accept only food and beverage tickets as payment.
Food and beverage tickets are available for purchase on festival grounds. Each ticket is equal to $1 and may be purchased by cash or credit card. ATMs are also available on site. The Cornell Café accepts food and beverage tickets in addition to cash or credit cards.
◆ Sapporo Beer Garden:
Featuring one of Japan’s most prominent and respected breweries. Selection of Sapporo Premium, Sapporo Premium Light and Sapporo Black available in bottles and draft.
◆ Cornell Café:
Pan-Asian classics on a terrace overlooking the gardens. The Cornell Café will offer an abridged a-la-carte menu during the festival.
◆ Sake Station:
Variety of premium Japanese sake and ones you might not find anywhere else in South Florida.
◆ Festival Food Vendors:
On festival grounds, enjoy a variety of Pan-Asian and all-American favorites, including some Japanese-inspired fall flavors, cooked on site by the festival food vendors.
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✤ OTHER INFO ✤
◉ Lantern Festival FAQ▼
https://morikami.org/cultural-programs/lantern-festival/faq/
◉ For more information, please access the event's homepage from below▼
https://morikami.org/event/lantern-festival/
