PHOENIX — A grieving Phoenix mother bought tickets to a lantern festival in Tucson. It was supposed to be a way for her to remember her daughter’s life. Tickets said the exact venue location would be announced later.
But when she didn’t hear from organizers, she became suspicious.
The mother purchased her tickets back in June but months later, she reached out to Let ABC15 Know after she started to fear the event might be a fraudulent scheme, and it seems she might have been right.
Lulu K. thought she had found a memorable way to celebrate her daughter. “For this to happen it’s almost like reliving her death again,” said Lulu K.
But she said it never happened.
Lulu said, “It not only represents celebrating her life but as the lantern floats it’s like letting go of all that pain and sorrow that I had been feeling this past year."
Maria, Lulu’s daughter, passed away in August of 2023. Last year, it was a water lantern festival at Kiwanis Park in Tempe, and this year she wanted to do the lantern festival.
“I thought what a better way to celebrate her life than with this light lantern festival,” said Lulu.
Searching online she found the Lyte Sky Lantern Festival scheduled to happen Saturday, September 7 in Tucson, Arizona.
According to the website and Lulu’s ticket the venue location would be announced closer to the event.
Lulu said, “As the date approached, I think it was somewhere towards the end of August. I said, ‘Hey we haven’t received any type of notification of the venue,’ that’s when I started reaching out to them."
There was no response from organizers. September 7 has come and gone, no event was held, and there has been no explanation for why it didn’t take place.
“I don’t think there are any words that can equate... that can quantify what I’m feeling,” Lulu explained.
All lantern festival tickets are final and non-refundable. If the event is rescheduled, the website says tickets will automatically transfer to the next date, but in Lulu’s case, there’s no rescheduled date.
The website says more sky lantern events are scheduled for other cities.
“They’re still selling tickets to an event that doesn’t exist, in my opinion,” said Lulu.
Let ABC15 Know reached out to several city and county agencies. A spokesperson for the Tucson Parks and Rec Department says no special permit application was received nor permitted for a lantern festival. Pima County Parks and Recreation said the same.
The Tucson Fire Department stated this type of event would not even be allowed to operate in the city.
Let ABC15 Know contacted the Lyte Sky Lantern Festival via its website several times, but there was no response. No email or phone number is listed for the event organizers.
How to spot a fake festival.
Do the research before you buy. Search online for the festival’s name and ensure the name advertised matches the website. Scammers often use names that sound familiar to those of real festivals. Look for the reviews of the event.
Check for active contact information. The festival website should have a real phone number and a valid email address.
Look at the prices. Watch out for prices that sound too good to be true. It’s a red flag when a festival offers tickets at extremely low prices without losing money. They may also mark up the price and slash to appear as it’s a discount.
Is the site secure? The website should begin with HTTPS and have a lock symbol on the address bar.
Pay with a credit card. You can dispute the charges if the business doesn’t come through. Be wary of events that don’t accept credit cards or use third party apps, like Cashapp, Venmo, and Zelle.
