The RiSE festival will return to the southern Nevada desert Friday and Saturday, Oct. 1 and 2, offering a dramatic way to express the melancholy and grief the pandemic has caused -- or the hope and elation that we might be turning the corner.
Participants simultaneously release lanterns with personal messages just after sunset each night, creating a stunning overhead glow as DJs serenade the crowd with soothing tunes. Each lantern can mean something different: a goodbye to a loved one, a dream of a new beginning, gratitude, happiness, an ethereal connection with the rest of the community.
The lanterns are 100% biodegradable and are recovered from the surrounding desert after the event.
Live performances are scheduled from Meridian, Magic Giant, JP Saxe and Emitt Fenn.
Tickets, $99 for Oct. 1 and $119 for Oct. 2, went on sale April 1. The event will be from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. both days at the Jean Dry Lake Bed, about a 25-minute drive south of Las Vegas. RiSE, first presented in 2014, drew 30,000 in 2019 but was not held last year.
Parking is about a 10-to-15-minute walk from the venue and is priced at $29. There will be a shuttle for those with ADA needs. Parking for RVs will be prohibited, and rideshares will not be allowed.
Shuttles from a to-be-announced Strip location will depart every 30 minutes from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Shuttles back to Las Vegas will run from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Shuttle passes ($39 roundtrip) must be purchased by Sept. 14.
RiSE is partnering with MGM Resorts International properties (Aria, Mandalay Bay, Luxor, MGM Grand, New York-New York,Park MGM and Vdara) for 15% discounts on accommodations. Visit the RiSE site for more information.