If you would like to float a lantern in person at the ceremony, you may receive one first-come first-served from the Lantern Request Tent, free of charge, on the day of the event. Please see the Individual Lanterns page for details.

Please see the Parking page for details.

Yes, please see the Accessibility Information page for details.

No. Those volunteering on the event day do not float their own lantern.

Please come to the Information Tent for Lost & Found items. You can also come here if you are missing supplies in the lantern kit bag that you received, and need replacements.

This year, there will be 6,000 lanterns.

Please do not float your own homemade lanterns during the event.

The lanterns used for the Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi ceremony are tested for flammability in all weather conditions. Homemade lanterns may create a safety hazard for the other participants and for our volunteers who retrieve your lanterns from the water.

Additionally, our lanterns were specifically designed to stop against special lines strung across the water, to ensure they will not float out to sea. Other lantern designs may float into the open ocean and become an environmental concern. Any homemade lanterns we manage to retrieve will not be returned to their original owners.

If you are unable to receive one of our lanterns at the Lantern Request Tent on the day of the event, you can still write a remembrance that will be included on the Collective Remembrance Lanterns floated by volunteers. Learn more on the Collective Remembrance Lantern page.

There are many ways to participate without attending in person. Please see the Take Part page for details.

There is no cost to participate. Everyone is welcome to attend, place a remembrance on a lantern, or float a lantern, free of charge.

Any voluntary donations received at the beach on the day of the ceremony will be gifted to the City & County of Honolulu for the beautification of Ala Moana Beach Park.

There is no cost to participate in the Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi ceremony.

Any voluntary donations received at the beach on the day of the event are gifted to the City & County of Honolulu for the maintenance and beautification of Ala Moana Beach Park.

If you would like to make a donation to support Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi activities, please see the Dedicate a Donation page. You may optionally include the name of someone you would like to dedicate your donation to.

The ceremony will be broadcast live on KHON2 and khon2.com from 6:30-7:30 p.m. HST (UTC-10). We will also be streaming live on this website and on our Youtube channel.

If you are unable to join us live, you will be able to view the ceremony in its entirety on our website and YouTube after the event.

Everyone is welcome to be a part of our volunteer ʻohana. Learn more on our Volunteer page

Guiding Lanterns are the large lanterns you see carried by assistants during the ceremony itself. These special lanterns carry prayers on behalf of all of us, and are dedicated to all who have ever existed. We have been supported by an unfathomable number of beings who have come before us, from generations of ancestors to animals and plants that sustained all life on our planet since its creation. Floating the six Guiding Lanterns ensures that spirits of all will be remembered in the Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi ceremony. Some examples of prayers on the Guiding Lanterns are “Victims of Natural Disasters,” “Victims of Man-made Disasters,” “All Tangible and Intangible Life in All Realms Past, Present, and Future,” and “Casualties of Violence Since Settler Colonialism in Hawaii.”

Collective Remembrance Lanterns are the original wooden-framed lanterns that were made by Shinnyo practitioners in the early years of the event and are refurbished each year. They are floated by volunteers from canoes or the shore. Each of these lanterns carry multiple remembrances, submitted ahead of time from around the world or from those who are unable to, or choose not to, float an Individual Lantern.

Individual Lanterns are distributed at the event to those who would like to personally place a lantern into the water during the ceremony. They are available at no cost, one per family or group. There are three blank sides on these lanterns, for writing remembrances on.

The original wooden-framed Collective Remembrance Lanterns were made by Shinnyo practitioners in the early years of the event. In the spring, Shinnyo practitioners, individual public volunteers and groups from schools, businesses and organizations contribute their efforts to carefully prepare these and the Individual Lanterns for the event day.

Volunteers in canoes make every effort to retrieve each lantern from the water after the ceremony ends. The lanterns are cleaned and stored for refurbishment in future years. Remembrances and prayers are removed and handled in a proper and spiritually respectful way.

The lanterns are not available for purchase as they are made specifically to carry the remembrances and prayers at the Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi ceremony and are refurbished for reuse each year. Thank you for your understanding.

No, Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi is a ceremony and does not profit monetarily from any activities or saleable merchandise.

Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi does not sell any food or beverage. Our primary focus continues to be the safety of ceremonial participants and providing a meaningful event open to all. We appreciate your understanding and kokua by coming prepared with your own food and non-alcoholic beverages.

Food and beverages are available for purchase at the fixed concession stands located on the mauka side of Ala Moana Beach Drive which are contracted by the City & County of Honolulu’s Dept. of Parks and Recreation. Please be aware that any food or beverage being sold by vendors, stationary or mobile, other than at the fixed concession stands, is unsanctioned and not in compliance with City & County regulations.

Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi assumes no responsibility for any damages that may occur through consumption of any food or beverage sold at Ala Moana Beach Park.

Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi is a ceremony that does not offer any food or beverage for sale as other festival-style events may have.

Unless given special permission by the Dept. of Parks and Recreation, only the concessionaires contracted by the City & County are allowed to sell food or beverage in Ala Moana Beach Park. The Dept. of Parks and Recreation will not make exceptions for any commercial activity within our permitted area.

Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi is a public event. Please feel free to enjoy recording your personal experience. When doing so, we kindly ask you to keep in mind the safety and comfort of your fellow participants.

Requests for commercial use of images of Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi may be sent to Nā Lei Aloha Foundation in writing via the Contact page.

For the safety and enjoyment of all attendees, personal camera-mounted drones are not permitted.

We ask for your help in ensuring the safety and enjoyment of all participants at the ceremony. As such, please do not fly personal drones at the event.

The drone footage seen during the ceremony broadcast is from a drone flown by a licensed, commercial drone operator, with proper permit approval for the event to ensure all safety and legal regulations are met.

No, Ala Moana Beach Park closes at 10:00 p.m. and opens at 4:00 a.m. each day.