‘UK’s answer to Fyre festival’ sells £50 tickets for banned activity

Lantern Festival UK sells thousands of tickets for events promising mass-release of sky lanterns, an act banned by two-thirds of councils

A lantern festival has been labelled as Britain’s answer to the infamous Fyre Festival amid fears that a scam has tricked thousands of people.
A website named Lantern Festival UK has been selling tickets for up to £50 per person for four apparent events in London and Birmingham this summer, which it claims are now sold out.
The event has been heavily promoted on the social media app TikTok with glossy images of crowds releasing lanterns into the night sky and promised the launching of “hundreds, even thousands, of sky lanterns, each adding its unique glow to the darkness above”.
Thousands of people are thought to have purchased tickets, despite the fact that sky lanterns are banned by nearly two-thirds of Britain’s 317 councils, including Birmingham, which has launched an investigation.
Lantern Festival UK’s website claims it “offers a unique gathering for individuals from diverse backgrounds and beliefs to unite in a heartwarming, affirming, and memorable occasion”.
But while four dates have been provided – two in London on May 26 and June 8 and two in Birmingham on June 1 and July 13 – the website says that “the exact location is yet to be confirmed”.
Those who have purchased tickets have been told that they will “receive an email 2 weeks prior to the event date confirming the full schedule of the day” and that refunds can be provided.
But some social media users have claimed they have heard nothing so far and say the event is a “scam”.
On X, formerly Twitter, one user compared the event to Fyre Festival and added: “Huge scam! You think the UK government would actually allow 2,000 lanterns in the sky when ULEZ is a thing? If you bought a ticket you better start making a claim with your bank now.”
Aliyah Atkins, a 19-year-old TikTok creator from Bedfordshire, said in a video watched 1.4 million times: “I hate to be the bearer of bad news for all you people that have bought the Lantern Festival tickets – you’ve fallen into a scam. Are we being for real, are people genuinely believing this?”
The Fyre Festival scam became notorious after a luxury music festival was organised by a con artist on the island of Great Exuma in the Bahamas, and promoted by celebrities and influencers.
Revellers arrived on the island for events which were indefinitely postponed and eventually cancelled.
A pre-sale registration form, which Lantern Festival UK links to in its social media pages, purports to have been filled out by more than 45,000 people.
But Birmingham City Council, having previously banned sky lanterns, is now investigating the situation and urged ticket-holders to send evidence of the scam to its Trading Standards team.
A spokesman for the authority told MailOnline: “We are aware of a number of online adverts promoting a lantern festival, reportedly including two dates in Birmingham, that have prompted concern this could be a scam – and our Trading Standards team are looking into this.
“Birmingham City Council does not permit the intentional release into the sky of lanterns from any land or property which it owns and/or controls – this includes our streets, public spaces, cemeteries and local authority schools.
“They may travel and land anywhere, potentially causing harm to wildlife and the environment, and in the case of sky lanterns, have been the cause of several major fires.”
Multiple London authorities have also banned sky lanterns, including in Ealing, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Redbridge and Wandsworth, making it unclear where the company plans to hold the apparent festival.
The Telegraph has contacted Lantern Festival UK for comment.
When MailOnline visited its business address, there was no sign of the firm or any staff.