My friend Melanie Bromley and I have been intrigued by the RiSe Festival since we first heard about it a few years ago. Every year we make tentative plans to go – and then life happens.

This year, just after we both acknowledged it was happening but hand’t yet made any solid plans to attend, again, I received a call asking if I wanted to help out on the PR for a lantern festival called RiSE. Hello serendipity. Yes please.

Now, the festival founded by Jef Holm, Bronson Christensen, Jeff Gehring, Dave Alberga and Dan Hill, who has a track record of creating events that inspire higher connectivity and creativity, is only a couple of days away. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 5th and 6th, thousands will come together in the scenic Mojave Desert to light lanterns representing their hopes, wishes and dreams and watch them rise in unison. I’m told the experience is magical, mystical and universal. It has no message to send, it’s all about what the attendees want to say, let go of or just put into the universe on their individual lantern.

This year, the festival’s fifth, will include performances by Harry Hudson, Mardevela, Dean Lewis, and Emmit Fenn. There will be a variety of food trucks and lounge areas by day before the lantern lighting takes center stage when the sun goes down. Next year there will be on-site luxury glamping! In the meantime, many festival attendees are staying at The PALMS Casino Resort. So many that the hotel’s Camden Cocktail Lounge is offering festival goers 20% off a welcome drink called “Above the Clouds.”

There are still a few tickets left to if you’d like to join in the collective release of what weighs you down while wishing for what you want. And, perfectly timed prior to the new moon Monday

Hope to see you in the desert…