Photos: The Lantern Fest Stopped Traffic on I-25

How great a visual wonder is 4,000 lanterns floating through the air at once? Enough to stop traffic. The entirety of cars in both lanes on I-25 came to a crawl on October 15 to witness the beauty as lanterns glided just above traffic to the west on a slight, warm, October...

By Lindsey Bartlett

October 17, 2016

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How awesome is the sight of 4,000 lanterns floating through the air? Awesome enough to stop traffic. All lanes on I-25 came to a crawl on Saturday, October 15, as lanterns glided above the highway during the first night of the third Lantern Fest at Colorado National Speedway. This was the most successful of the three: The weather was good, the turnout was high, and the results were jaw-dropping.

And it turned out to the be only night this round; Sunday evening's event was canceled at the last minute because of high winds. (That was probably for the best, because these events can resemble a post-apocalyptic war zone if you're not careful.) The second lantern lift-off will be rescheduled, organizers say.

But the first night was undeniably beautiful, as the lanterns with their "new beginning" messages took off under a full moon. See photos of the event below, and find more in our Lantern Fest slideshow.

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Lindsey Bartlett is a writer, photographer, artist, Denver native and weed-snob. Her work has been published in Vanity Fair, High Times and Leafly, to name a few.

Contact: Lindsey Bartlett

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