How to release a virtual sky lantern
- Pick a paper and drawSix papers. Draw a symbol, a name’s first letter, a heart. It glows through the paper when the flame is lit.
- Hold to fill itPress and hold. The flame grows, the paper fills out and a tone rises. Add a wish if you like; it never leaves this device.
- Swipe upIt drifts over the river and joins every lantern released here today. Save an 8-second video or a card for your story.
What is a sky lantern?
A sky lantern is a small hot-air balloon made of thin paper on a light frame, with a flame hung under its open bottom. The warm air inside lifts it, and on festival nights hundreds of them drift up together. They’re also called Kongming lanterns, after the Chinese strategist Zhuge Liang (Kongming), who is traditionally credited with the idea. (Wikipedia: Sky lantern)
Lantern festivals in 2026
| Festival | 2026 | Where and what |
|---|---|---|
| Thadingyut | Oct 25–27 | Myanmar’s festival of lights at the end of Buddhist Lent: homes, streets and pagodas lit with lamps and candles. It isn’t a sky-lantern festival; here, it’s a lantern of light for the night. (Office Holidays: Thadingyut) |
| Diwali | Nov 8 | The festival of lights, celebrated across India and around the world with oil lamps (diyas), candles and lights. No sky lanterns needed; here, a lantern of light for the night. (SmartPuja: Diwali 2026) |
| Tazaungdaing | Nov 23–24 | The full moon of Tazaungmon in Myanmar, known for its fire-balloon festivals, most famously in Taunggyi. (Office Holidays: Tazaungdaing) |
| Yi Peng and Loy Krathong | Late November, on the full moon | In northern Thailand, Yi Peng fills the sky with lanterns while Loy Krathong sets small floating offerings on the rivers. Listings for 2026 differ between Nov 24 and 25, so check locally. (Thai Holiday Guide: Yi Peng) |
On those nights this page changes its colours and words to match. Any other night it’s simply lantern night: one for a birthday, for luck, or for someone you miss.
Why release one online?
Real sky lanterns are an open flame you can’t steer, and many places don’t allow them.
- Colorado Springs, for one, says sky lanterns violate its fire code because a released flame can’t be attended and can land anywhere, including wildfire areas. (Colorado Springs Fire Department)
- In the UK, all Welsh councils have banned releases on council land since 2018, and more than 170 councils across England and Wales have done the same; the wire and bamboo frames can hurt farm animals and wildlife. (RSPCA Assured)
- In Chiang Mai, Yi Peng releases are limited to approved times and zones, the airport reschedules flights around the festival, and releasing without permission can bring prison or heavy fines. (Khaosod English, 2025)
This one has no flame, no frame and nothing to land. It’s free, and you can release one for anyone, anywhere.
What’s counted, and what isn’t
The number is real. Each time someone lets a lantern go, this page adds one to today’s count for their country (the country comes from the network, as a two-letter code). Only those daily totals are kept: no names, no wishes, no drawings. The count starts again at midnight UTC, so “today” means the UTC day, which can begin in the afternoon or evening where you are. The moon, the stars and the fireflies are just the night; every warm, rising light in the sky is a counted lantern.
Your wish never leaves this device: it isn’t sent to us and it’s never in a share link. A share link carries only your paper colour, your symbol and your lantern’s number.