Planning Your Visit to Lanterns
Here's the info you need to have a great Lanterns experience!
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Getting around the park grounds
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Lanterns 2024 Hours
Thursday, April 18:
6 - 10 pm (gates open at 5:30)
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Friday, April 19:
6 - 10 pm (gates open at 5:30)
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Saturday, April 20:
Closed due to inclement weather
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Sunday, April 21: New date!
4 - 9 pm
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If you buy a ticket for a date that is rained out, you may use it on any other festival date!
Parking at Lanterns 2024
Wildwood Park for the Arts is located at 20919 Denny Rd. in Little Rock, AR.
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Some limited parking is available across from the park's front gates on Denny Road. However, this space fills up fast! Parking across the street from the park costs $10 per car.
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We strongly recommend that you park for free in the The Promenade at Chenal's back parking lot behind the courtyard. From there take our free parking shuttles to Wildwood's front gate, just 5 minutes away. See parking map below.
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The main entrance for the Promenade at Chenal is located at 17711 Chenal Parkway, and the back lot is accessible from both Rahling Rd. and St. Vincent Way on either side of the shopping center.
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Shuttle service starts at 5:30 pm on Thursday and Friday and 4 pm Saturday.
Parking shuttles arrive every 15 minutes, and they will also pick you up from the front gates and take you back to your cars when you are ready to depart.
Getting Around the Park at Lanterns 2024
Lanterns features six decorated areas of the park called "vistas" spread out across the park grounds (see festival map below). Each vista celebrates a specific culture, whether real or imaginary. Nashville, England, and Argentina will be closest to you as you enter the front gates. You will need to cross through England to get to the Fairytale Forest, Pirate Land, and China.
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Experiencing Lanterns often requires significant amounts of walking. Please wear comfortable shoes, and feel free to bring along strollers or wagons for children if needed. Be aware that some terrain in the park is rocky and uneven, and there are some hills.
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If you have mobility issues that require a wheelchair, some parts of Lanterns (but not all) are accessible to you. We recommend that you plan to park across the street from the park, and you may pull up to the front gate long enough to unload passengers and wheelchairs or scooters before parking the car.
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You can use asphalt or concrete pathways to reach Nashville, so you will have full access to the nightly stage show. Wheelchairs can also reach the edge of the green where England is located, as well as the top edge of the hill overlooking Argentina, although the main activities for Argentina are located down a grassy slope.
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The Fairytale Forest and China are bordered by concrete pathways, but you must cross the grassy area in England to get to the paths, and there are bumpy spots on the paths due to tree roots. China is a 5-10 minute walk from England (see festival map below).
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Pirate Land is located at the top of a hill on a dirt trail that is inaccessible.
Can I bring my pets to Lanterns?
We do not encourage you to bring your pets to Lanterns. The festival is often crowded, which makes the environment less enjoyable and predictable for animals. Also, it's difficult to clean up after them in the dark.
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However, we love to see pets on leashes in the park during regular park hours!
Lanterns 2024 Activities
There are so many things to do and see at Lanterns! Some are included in the price of your admission ticket, and others require you to purchase and spend WildBucks, the festival currency.
Included with admission price:
1. Access to all trails, decorated vistas, and light displays
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2. Nashville stage show performances in the theater auditorium at 7, 8, and 9 pm (no 9 pm show on Sunday)
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3. Treasure hunt for kids (Pirate Land)
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4. Storytelling from different world cultures, live harp music, temporary tattoos (Fairytale Forest)
Requires additional purchase (WildBucks):
1. Launch a lighted lantern onto Swan Lake in China ($5 WildBucks)
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2. Sample food and beverages at the vistas (prices vary)
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3. Buy craft souvenirs in China or light-up souvenirs elsewhere in the park
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What Are WildBucks?
You need WildBucks (the festival currency) to purchase food, drinks, lanterns to launch on the lake, and souvenirs.
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​You can purchase WildBucks at any of the WildBucks stations located around the park. We accept both cash and credit cards at WildBucks stations.
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Every WildBuck you spend at Lanterns helps to preserve Wildwood Park for the Arts for the community to enjoy today and into the future. You're also supporting nature and arts education in central Arkansas and enabling us to bring you more concerts, stage performances and festival. You make it possible for us to keep the park open to the public free of charge 7 days per week. For more details, see our About Lanterns page.
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Because Lanterns is a fundraising event, WildBucks are not refundable.
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WildBucks station locations:
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On the path between the front gate and the theater (Nashville)
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At the theater box office
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On the asphalt path between England and Argentina
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At the Butler Gazebo (China)