We had heard about the famous Lights festival of Ontario and always wanted to be a part of it. After it was postponed the first time, it took place on 8th of Sept 2018 at the agricultural grounds of Dunnville. The event was scheduled to begin at 5pm in the evening and end at around 10.30 pm. People from all over the province had made it to the far off Dunnville to feel the wonderful experience - to celebrate the festival of lights.

We left the Toronto city at around 3pm, picked up a pair of camping chairs from Walmart and reached the spot well within the show began.

At the entrance of the venue, organizers gave us lanterns and markers and then we walked further to the agricultural lands. It was a huge area where a lot of food trucks were lined up. On one side there was live music and on other side the fire trucks had lined up as a precautionary measure. After a long time there was a lovely chill in the air, temperatures falling to sub 15 degrees. It was a pleasant evening. Lights fest has a spot for everyone: either you come to celebrate or pay a tribute. The empty spaces around us were filling up quickly as the sun was going down. The sunset looked beautiful as shades of orange, blue and purple covered the horizon.

As the darkness of night filled the sky, the live music filled in the air creating a soothing atmosphere. A test lantern was lit to ensure that the winds were at safe levels. The lanterns were specifically designed keeping in mind the safety of people and the environment. They have a flight time for around a minute and fly not too high. The body of lantern is made up of rice paper which is biodegradable. The clock was ticking and everyone was ready with their lanterns. The sketches/words etched on lanterns were related to love, life, family or friends. It was the flow of emotions put on the body of lanterns. Everyone was waiting for the go signal. As soon as they asked us to light up and let the lanterns onto the sky we were on it.

What a pleasure to watch thousands of lanterns brighten the dark sky! It truly was a celebration of Life, experience, hopes, feelings and dreams. I am sure it had a positive impact on everyone who was a part of it.