On the evening of August 6, lanterns drift out across Green Lake in remembrance of the Hiroshima bombing. The Green Lake lantern festival, known as From Hiroshima to Hope, is a free lantern floating held every year on that date since 1984, on the lake's northwest shore just south of the Bathhouse. The most recent gathering ran from 6 to 9 PM, with the procession and lantern floating beginning at 8 PM.
Why lanterns float every August 6
Mark your calendar once and you are set, because the date never moves. The gathering always falls on the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, so you can plan your evening around it even before the details are posted. More than four decades of annual gatherings have made it one of Seattle's longest running summer traditions of remembrance.
The heart of the night is the procession and the moment the lanterns are set on the water. Come a little early so you have time to settle in and find your spot before that moment arrives.
