The Lights Fest

Che Lee

Know what you're getting into, before I get into it, WORTH IT. But you need to plan for a day/evening outside which is 95% of the event. Bring friends family you want to catch up with, think of it as an outdoor concert/picnic. Just a great day out with an awesome finish. This is not just a show up, float some lights and go home. It's much more than that. Plan well and you will be greatly rewarded with a great day and a bonding moment for those you share this event with.

Jay France

My family and I had an absolute blast at The Lights Fest. Purchasing the tickets was easy. They sent great information as the day of the event got closer. Their on-site processing was smooth. The team did a great job of explaining everything and ran the event very well.It was a very safe operation too given so many people being mixed with hundreds of tiki torches and paper lanterns...I saw no one get engulfed in flames! HA

Aileen

Context: Review for the Ohio Lights Fest 2018 in Waynesville (Ohio Renaissance Festival Grounds) on June 2. Cost: I got early tickets for $35 each (myself and my husband) + a $12 service fee = $82 for entry and a lantern per person. Pros: - They provided lots of info online in terms of schedule, with tips to bring your own chairs, blankets, and an umbrella. (I would also recommend bringing a cooler with your own water, snacks and food. I would also recommend bringing something to do while waiting, like a book or board games). It was hot and not raining, but the umbrellas worked out great for shade. - You get a lantern, plus a little grab bag with a wristband, a key chain flashlight, a decal or sticker of some sort, and a mini sharpie to decorate your lantern. - The actual lighting and release of the lanterns was magical and, surprisingly, made all the cons worth it (this may be a generous interpretation. See the cons list.) - Food trucks and basic entertainment on site, plus lots of porter potties--so very little wait to use them as needed. Cons: (and there are a lot) - We were told to arrive early (gates open at 5pm) with the lantern lighting tentatively scheduled at 9:30 pm (due to sunset timing and fire marshal? approval). - We arrived early at 5:45pm and stood in a long line for about a half hour just to get in, scan our tickets, and pick up our lanterns. It didn't seem like enough people scanning and handing out inventory for the number of people in line to get in. - There were lots of porter potties, but only two hand washing stations--and the water (which you pumped with your foot), ran out an hour before sunset. - There were about 6-7 food/dessert trucks: 1 for hot dogs, 1 Hawaiian food, 1 for bbq/grilled food, 1 with flavored ice, 1 for ice cream, 1 for other grilled food (grilled cheese, burgers, etc), 1 with churros and tacos/latin food. I may have missed one in my count. There were also a two tents for drinks only (water, etc). These were not enough trucks for the amount of people. Even though were set up early and were in line around 6:30/7, the wait in each line was 30 minutes to an hour. I'm sure they ran out of food by the end of the night. There were just so many people and not enough food trucks. - The music: was terrible. TERRIBLE. The MC was terrible. The MC didn't sound like he knew what he was talking about. There were two singer-songwriter type artists up first. The audio was terrible. It was like American Idol auditions, but we had to listen to each person for 30-40 minutes. The last band was ok. They were all cover artists. It would have been better to keep the radio on the whole time instead. It seemed like they did not vet their performers. - Limited activities: there was NOTHING to do if you didn't bring anything. You had to listen to the bad music. If you had kids, they had some bouncy house thing that you had to pay so your kids could play. But it wasn't enough to keep people busy or entertained for the entire waiting time-- which was poorly organized considering that they encouraged guests to arrive 4+ hours early. - The lantern launch was delayed by 30 minutes--at this point, it's late. There are people who have been waiting for four to five hours, with kids and babies. They had some tutorial on how to launch the lanterns--on a stage you couldn't really see. - There were not enough tiki torches to light the lanterns, so you not everyone could launch at the same time. It was really difficult to use the tiki flames to light the lanterns, and it seemed dangerous. People were easily lighting the lantern sides instead of the fuel part. - While the first two or three minutes were magical, for whatever reasons (maybe people weren't letting the fuel part of the lantern light for long enough), after that--lanterns that were lit at the beginning would lose the flame and fall back down, sometimes on other participants. Overall: Worth going, but I wouldn't go again knowing all the cons. Overpriced and poorly organized. They counted on the lantern launch to carry the event.

Nkauj Thao

Kansas City - 2018 Great experience! I can only speak for my experience in Warrensberg (Kansas City’s Lights Fest). My only suggestions are: 1. Have more upbeat musicians. The first two acts were great but the last few were a tad boring. 2. Maybe have more activities on the side for kids (I am aware face painting was available for young children) and adults. Tips for people arriving early: bring a blanket, small tent, chairs, cards/games, drinks (non-alcoholic beverages), snacks, umbrella, & small pillows. Sounds like a lot but trust me, if you’re going to be under the sun for hours, you’ll appreciate all the above. And bring sunblock! 🙂 When the lanterns are lit, BE CAREFUL! Pay attention to your surroundings because a lantern can come at you. They don’t go very far from take off so be careful.