Toro Nagashi: Lantern Ceremony at Jackson Park

The annual Toro Nagasaki lantern ceremony returns to Jackson Park's Osaka Garden on Thursday evening, August 6, from 7:00 to 11:00 PM. This Buddhist tradition, held at the end of the Obon season, invites participants to decorate and craft paper lanterns on-site from 7:00 to 8:00 PM before floating them in the garden's pond to guide spirits home and remember lost loved ones. Only 300 registrants will receive a lantern, distributed first come, first served. The evening includes live shamisen music by Toyoaki Sanjuro and remarks from the Chicago Park District, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, and DePaul University. Free, but registration is required and space is limited. No dogs, food, or photography inside the garden.