Vividly colored lanterns lit up the night as the smell of vendors’ food filled the air at the Fort Worth Autumn Lantern Festival Sept. 10 at the Huong Dao Temple, 4717 E. Rosedale St.
Mia Pham, a vendor and volunteer from Garland, sold taiyaki, a traditional Japanese fish-shaped dessert. On the opposite end of the venue, Abigail Ramirez sold tamales.
A vendor makes taiyaki, a Japanese fish-shaped dessert, at the Fort Worth Autumn Lantern Festival on Sept. 10 at the Huong Dao Temple, 4717 E. Rosedale St. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Volunteer Mia Pham places taiyaki, a Japanese fish-shaped dessert, in a bag at the Fort Worth Autumn Lantern Festival on Sept. 10 at the Huong Dao Temple, 4717 E. Rosedale St. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
A vendor sells traditional hats made of lotus leaves at the Fort Worth Autumn Lantern Festival on Sept. 10 at the Huong Dao Temple, 4717 E. Rosedale St. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
People gather at the Fort Worth Autumn Lantern Festival on Sept. 10 at the Huong Dao Temple, 4717 E. Rosedale St. The festival celebrates the August full moon, a time to come together in Southeast Asian countries. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
A costume head sits on the ground at the Fort Worth Autumn Lantern Festival on Sept. 10 at the Huong Dao Temple, 4717 E. Rosedale St. The Hao Dao Lion Dance Team performed the lion and dragon dance. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
A member of the Hoa Dao Lion Dance Team walks around in his costume at the Fort Worth Autumn Lantern Festival on Sept. 10 at the Huong Dao Temple, 4717 E. Rosedale St. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
William Khehn, a papaya salad vendor, serves papaya salad at the Fort Worth Autumn Lantern Festival on Sept. 10 at the Huong Dao Temple, 4717 E. Rosedale St. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
William Khehn, a papaya salad vendor, mixes papaya salad at the Fort Worth Autumn Lantern Festival on Sept. 10 at the Huong Dao Temple, 4717 E. Rosedale St. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
William Khehn, a papaya salad vendor, serves papaya salad at the Fort Worth Autumn Lantern Festival on Sept. 10 at the Huong Dao Temple, 4717 E. Rosedale St. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
William Khehn, a papaya salad vendor, peels papaya at the Fort Worth Autumn Lantern Festival on Sept. 10 at the Huong Dao Temple, 4717 E. Rosedale St. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)
The Fort Worth Autumn Lantern Festival, held on Sept. 10-11, raised money for the temple’s $100 million expansion. Most vendors at the festival volunteered and donated proceeds to the expansion, Venerable Pannakara said.
The August Full Moon tradition is celebrated by Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, South Korean, Malaysian, Vietnamese and Filipino people. It is a time for people to come together.
Volunteer Brooke Pham helped put the festival together. She is proud of how many different cultures blended at the event.
“We have tamales from a very sweet Mexican lady, a Burmese couple that participated, Thai and Vietnamese (people), so just everybody coming together. It’s a blessing to have everyone want to participate,” Pham said.
Cristian ArguetaSoto is the community engagement journalist at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him by email or via Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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