LA's Echo Park To Host Lotus Festival This Weekend

LOS ANGELES -- The city of Los Angeles today invited Angelenos to come and celebrate the 42nd Lotus Festival this weekend, which honors and showcases the people and culture of Indonesia.

The festival will run July 15 -16 from noon to 8 p.m. at Echo Park.

This annual event began in 1972, becoming one of the city's largest festivals to promote awareness and understanding of the contributions of Asian and Pacific Islander people to the city of LA.

The festival coincides with the traditional blooming of the lotus flower which symbolizes ``rebirth,'' according to a statement from the Department of Recreation and Parks, co-organizer of the event alongside Los Angeles Lotus Festival.

An assortment of activities will be available for visitors to enjoy, including dragon boat races, Asian food and drinks, a variety of vendors and a children's area.

Visitors can also participate in the department's augmented reality game ``Agents of Discovery,'' a free mobile game where people of all ages complete missions by learning about the natural, cultural and historic resources at parks.

In addition, the Lotus Festival will include a ``Lights of Dreams Lantern'' event, an adaptation of Indonesia's Buddhist festival where rice paper lanterns are released onto a body of water.

According to the event description of the lantern event, ``in Asian cultures, illuminated paper lanterns symbolize our hope for a brighter future, appreciation for our loved ones and memories of those who passed away.''

While admission to the Lotus Festival is free, tickets for the lantern event costs $20 to $30, which can be purchased at https://bit.ly/3rtD96x.

Limited shuttle services and sign language interpreters will be available. Echo Park is located along Glendale Boulevard, south of Sunset Boulevard.

-- City News Service