Public invited to submit remembrances for Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawai‘i

Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawai‘i, the annual Memorial Day ceremony that brings together communities from around the world in honor of fallen service members and loved ones, is accepting submissions for remembrances at LanternFloatingHawaii.com. Submissions received by April 30, 2026, will be hand-transcribed onto lanterns.

Submissions received from May 1 through 11:59 p.m. HST on May 24, 2026, will be printed and affixed to Collective Remembrance Lanterns. All lanterns will be set afloat at sunset on Memorial Day at Ala Moana Beach. 

“By offering a remembrance, we invite people everywhere to take part in a shared journey of reflection and renewal,” said Rev. Craig Yamamoto, community relations liaison of Shinnyo-en Hawaiʻi. “In a time when connection and compassion feel more important than ever, we continue to receive remembrances, prayers, and affirmations from around the world. While Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawai‘i takes place in Honolulu, it brings together our global community in generating hope and reaffirming our shared commitment to a brighter future.”

The community is invited to float individual lanterns at Ala Moana Beach on Memorial Day, May 25, with distribution beginning at 10 a.m. and continuing on a first-come, first-served basis until 4 p.m., or while supplies last; no pre-reservation option is available.

To honor and support those who serve, Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawai‘i will once again offer a dedicated lantern request line for Active Duty, National Guard, Reservists, Veterans, Retired Military, and their immediate family members, who must present a valid military ID to receive a lantern through this dedicated line. Immediate family members of fallen service members are also welcome to participate in this dedicated line; no ID is required for this group. 

At sunset, a total of 6,000 candle-lit lanterns bearing remembrances, prayers, and affirmations will be set afloat, after which volunteers will collect the lanterns for refurbishment and reuse in next year’s ceremony.

Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawai‘i is a free, public event officiated by Shinnyo-en, an international Buddhist community with Japanese roots, and presented by its locally-based, community support arm Nā Lei Aloha Foundation. The annual ceremony draws participants from diverse ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds, creating a shared moment of remembrance, harmony, and international friendship.

The ceremony will be broadcast live on KHON2 and streamed on Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawai‘i’s official YouTube channel. 

For more information on the event, visit LanternFloatingHawaii.com, e-mail info@naleialoha.org or call 808-942-1848, ext. 2. For more information about Shinnyo-en visit Shinnyoen.org.