• Arcata Lantern Ceremony 2019. Photo courtesy of Mark Larson.

The City of Arcata would like to remind the community that the 38th Annual Arcata Lantern Floating Ceremony deadline for submissions is Monday, July 20.

The City of Arcata’s Nuclear-Free Zone Committee started the Arcata Lantern Floating Ceremony 38 years ago to commemorate the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 and to affirm Arcata’s dedication to the cause of peace. The ceremony has since evolved into a beautiful opportunity for the community to come together for a collective moment of remembrance and reflection.

For the health and safety of the community, ceremony organizers are offering alternative ways to share intentions, hopes and remembrance in lieu of lantern floating at the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary this year. Community members are invited to share photographs, artwork and inscriptions in honor of departed loved ones and ancestors. Messages of peace and hope for racial and cultural harmony are also encouraged.

A video compilation of community submissions will be released on YouTube on Saturday, August 8 and will include performances of local musicians, poets and speakers, including Mayor Michael Winkler. The video and a community message board will also be available for viewing year round at arcatalanternfloatingceremony.org.

Digital submissions can be emailed to us@arcatalanternfloatingceremony.org until Monday, July 20 to be included in the ceremony video. Late submissions will be included on arcatalanternfloatingceremony.org, but not in the video release. In addition, some community art and inscription submissions will be displayed in downtown Arcata. Physical art submissions can be mailed or dropped off at the Arcata Public Library, located at 500 7th Street, until Monday, July 20 during regular book-drop hours.

For more information, please visit arcatalanternfloatingceremony.org or email
us @arcatalanternfloatingceremony.org.

###