Join Physicians for Social Responsibility Wisconsin (PSR WI) for our annual Lanterns for Peace event, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. This family-friendly gathering invites our community to reflect, create, and commit to a future free from the threat of nuclear weapons.

✨ Enjoy live music from the Backyard String Band and the spirited Raging Grannies

🎵 Experience a moving performance by Beni Daiko, a Japanese Taiko Drumming Group

🎨 Decorate your own lantern to float at dusk

🗣️ Hear from our featured speaker, John Nichols, acclaimed journalist, peace advocate, and associate editor of The Capital Times

📅 APPROXIMATE Event Schedule:

6:30 PM – Event opens to the public & lantern making begins and Backyard String Band music

6:45 PM - Welcome

6:55 PM - Raging Grannies

7:15 PM - Beni Daiko Drums

7:30 PM – John Nichols

8:00 PM – Lanterns launched at dusk onto the Tenney Park Lagoon and Backyard String Band singalong

🌿 Sustainability Commitment

PSR WI is proud to minimize waste by reusing all lantern materials—including styrofoam bases, candles, and bamboo sticks—for over six years. All materials are removed from the lagoon after the event to ensure we leave no trace behind.

🤝 All Are Welcome

This event is free and open to the public. Bring your friends, family, and your vision for a peaceful world.

You can design and decorate your own lantern paper from your home!

🖍️ Can't Attend in Person? Decorate Your Own Lantern at Home!

Create a message of peace, justice, and a nuclear weapon-free future using words, drawings, or symbols and choose one of the following options:

1. Decorate a Paper Lantern Panel
Use letter (8.5" x 11") or legal (8.5" x 14") sized paper. Crayons, markers, colored pencils, or paint are all welcome.

Or

2. Make a “Ready-to-Assemble” Lantern Panel
Tape, staple, or glue together: 3 letter-size sheets (8.5” x 11”) OR 2 legal-size sheets (8.5” x 14”), and then form a square shape with each side, approximately 6.5 inches (same as past lanterns). Decorate each panel and send it in as one unit.

3. Share Your Lantern Online
Take a photo or video of your artwork before mailing it, and post it to Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn using the hashtag #LanternsForPeace.

4. Mail or Drop Off Your Lantern Art*
Send your finished lantern panel to: PSR Wisconsin, 720 Hill Street, Suite 200, Madison, WI 53705 OR contact Marta to arrange a drop-off.

*Please Note: Lanterns will not be returned. Be sure to take a photo before mailing yours in. We’ll do our best to document all the lanterns at the event!

Thank you to our sponsors for their generous support!