Indianapolis festival to light up neighborhoods
The Feast of Lanterns will return to Indianapolis this August to celebrate a long-held tradition of illuminating the historic Near Eastside with glowing lanterns and community festivities.
The origins of the Feast of Lanterns began in the 1800s when community members would form small gatherings and decorate the porches of houses in connecting neighborhoods in the Near Eastside. This small affair morphed into a large festival in Spades Park where neighbors would come with paper lanterns to hang. The festival took a hiatus in the 1940s only to come back in the 2000s when community members wanted to start an outdoor musical festival.
The current incarnation of the festival is hosted by the Lanterns Foundation, which places emphasis on the origins of the festival and the community ties uniting the various neighborhoods that work to put on the festival. The festival will feature over 60 local artisan vendors, a community row of local organizations, a kids zone, and various food trucks. There will also be live music and a beer and wine garden.
Local vendors that participate in community festivals like this will usually bring along with them a supply of business cards to hand out to attendees during the event.
The 2025 Feast of Lanterns is slated for August 23, from 4:00 pm to 11:00 pm. It will be held at Spades Park, located at 1800 Nowland Avenue.
The origins of the Feast of Lanterns began in the 1800s when community members would form small gatherings and decorate the porches of houses in connecting neighborhoods in the Near Eastside. This small affair morphed into a large festival in Spades Park where neighbors would come with paper lanterns to hang. The festival took a hiatus in the 1940s only to come back in the 2000s when community members wanted to start an outdoor musical festival.
The current incarnation of the festival is hosted by the Lanterns Foundation, which places emphasis on the origins of the festival and the community ties uniting the various neighborhoods that work to put on the festival. The festival will feature over 60 local artisan vendors, a community row of local organizations, a kids zone, and various food trucks. There will also be live music and a beer and wine garden.
Local vendors that participate in community festivals like this will usually bring along with them a supply of business cards to hand out to attendees during the event.
The 2025 Feast of Lanterns is slated for August 23, from 4:00 pm to 11:00 pm. It will be held at Spades Park, located at 1800 Nowland Avenue.