Lantern Festival organisers promise a 'safe and environmentally-friendly' event

The festival is set to come to London in May
Guests at weddings, festivals and parties are being urged not to release Chinese sky lanterns this summer
Robert Dex @RobDexES12 April 2024

The organisers of a Lantern Festival that prompted fears it was a scam said it will go ahead as “a safe and environmentally friendly event for all”.

The event, which is being advertised in London and Birmingham, has already sold out but ticket-owners have not been told where it will be held – prompting fears among some they were being conned while others raised concerns about potential damage to the environment.

But a spokesperson for the festival, which has been compared to the Wonka experience in Glasgow that became an online sensation when it went wrong, said the London locations would be confirmed on April 20.

They said: “We share the public and media’s heightened awareness of events promotion,following the disastrous Wonka experience in Glasgow that was widely reported recently. Our events and theirs could not be more different.

 “We have carefully planned these events, and made numerous location selections in Birmingham and London, optioning sites of different capacities, based on their attributes that will enable us to create a safe and environmentally friendly event for all.

“As ticket sales have overperformed our expectations, we’ve released the site options on lower-capacity venues and entered into final agreements with the larger venues we’ve identified as part of our planning process.

 “Our selection of lanterns is based on ensuring aesthetics that align with our advertisements and an effort to limit the environmental impact as well. “ The event, scheduled to be in London on May 26 and June 8 and in Birmingham June 1 and July 13, is billed on its website as a “mesmerising process of launching hundreds, even thousands, of sky lanterns, each adding its unique glow to the darkness above”.

It adds the organisers “understand the importance of ethical and eco-friendly alternatives” and the lanterns are “designed with sustainability in mind”.

Ticket prices start at £35 and go up to £75 for a group of four.

A spokesperson for the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said lantens can “start wildfires and property fires” and “kill or injure livestock”, adding: “Our advice is simple - don’t use them.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT