Hundreds of people took part in the first night of a weekend Water Lantern Festival at National Harbor in Maryland.

According to organizers, the festival is a community-centered experience where you can decorate a floating paper lantern with personal messages of love, hope, remembrance or intention, and release them onto the water.

Jack Hawkins came all the way from Richmond, Virginia, to take part in the event.

“You’re with friends, family and loved ones. You can put your dreams and hopes and everything in the lantern and, hopefully, they come true,” he said.

Hawkins wrote a special wish for his children on his lantern which read, “The kids to have a bright and meaningful life with all the happiness in the world.”

A woman named Tee said the lantern release represents hope for her. “Life has been hard the last couple of months, and just the thought of being able to write it down and watch it flow away kind of connected with me,” she said.

One of the lanterns quoted scripture from the book of Psalms: “God is with her, she will not fail.”

Alyssa Bailey expressed gratitude on her lantern.

“I actually just served a mission for my church and so I wrote about how Jesus loves me and how he cares for me and loves other people,” she said.

Jessica Hawkins sees the event as a way to express what’s inside.

“I like the idea of getting your hopes and wants out, and putting it out in the world and watching what the future brings from there,” she told WTOP.

The festival runs through the weekend, with water lanterns launched each night at about 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are available online.

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