7th Annual Lantern Lighting Celebration at Lakewood Cemetery

About

Public Invited to
Honor Lost Loved Ones at

Lantern Lighting
Celebration at Lakewood Cemetery

Stunning Visual
of Floating Candlelit Lanterns Creates a Breathtaking Scene and Moment to
Remember, Pay Tribute and Connect

WHAT:
            7th
Annual Lantern Lighting Celebration at Lakewood Cemetery

Lakewood
Cemetery invites the public to its seventh annual Lantern Lighting Celebration
the weekend of September 17-19, 2021. The event offers
an opportunity for people to celebrate the memories of loved ones – whether
lost recently or years ago – by decorating a floating, candlelit lantern in
their honor. This event is open to the public.

At
the event, people can decorate a paper lantern sleeve with favorite pictures,
messages of love, and other symbols of remembrance. At dusk, in a beautiful
ceremony, attendees gather to release their lanterns onto Lakewood’s eight-acre
lake, while the names of loved ones are read aloud. The effect of the candlelit
lanterns floating on the lake is breathtaking and magical, connecting people to
their loved ones and to each other.

“Lakewood
is celebrating 150 years of service to the community with a year of experiences
and events honoring the past and sparking ideas for how to bring more
creativity to the ways in which we memorialize those we love and miss,” said
Lakewood president, Chris Makowske. “Our Lantern Lighting Celebration is a way
for people to hold space for remembrance in a beautiful and sacred place,
through creative expression, and in the comforting presence of others.”

Since
its inception in 2015, the Lantern Lighting Celebration has grown — through
strong community support — from 300 lantern reservations in its first year to
more than 1,800 in 2019 (attendance was limited in 2020). “Building on the
long-term success of our Memorial Day event and our other seasonal
celebrations, our Lantern Lighting Celebration is one of many ways Lakewood is
making memorialization more relevant, accessible and inviting for all
generations,” Makowske said. “The response from the community has been
overwhelming.”

In
2020, Lakewood changed the event from one evening to three evenings to allow
more people to attend given event capacity restrictions during the pandemic.
Throughout the event, guests can enjoy live music, food and refreshments from
local food vendors, and the beauty of Lakewood’s scenic grounds. Self-guided
tour brochures of the cemetery will also be available.

WHERE:           Lakewood Cemetery

3600 Hennepin
Avenue

Minneapolis, MN
55408

WHEN:                       September 17-19

                        5:00 – 8:30 p.m. each
night*

*Attendees
have the option of choosing one of three evenings to honor their loved ones –
Friday, September 17th, Saturday, September 18th or
Sunday, September 19th.

COST:             Admission
is free, but there is a per lantern: $7 in advance or $12 at the door.

MORE INFO:   https://www.lakewoodcemetery.org/event/5390/

Visit
Youtube to watch a short
video from a previous year’s event or watch this longer video to hear
attendees speak about their experience.

LANTERN

TICKETS:         Click here