45th Los Angeles Lotus Festival at Echo Park Lake

The 45th Los Angeles Lotus Festival takes over Echo Park Lake on July 11 and 12, 2026, with free general admission and programming built around the lake's lotus blooms. This year's featured culture is Sri Lanka, with music, dance, food, and community events spread across the weekend.

The festival is a summer tradition uniting Asian and Pacific Islander communities through performances, food, and lake-side activities. Dragon boat races, a food court with API vendors, and two performance stages are core parts of the schedule.

Highlights on the ground

The program includes dragon boat races on Echo Park Lake, live entertainment on main and children's stages, and Lights of Dreams, an evening lantern event with lotus and paper lanterns floating on the water.

The festival food court typically draws vendors representing multiple diaspora cuisines, with beer and wine options for guests 21 and over on select programming.

A Lotus Flower 5K Run/Walk is scheduled for Sunday, July 13 as a partner event near the lake, with registration caps and finisher medals.

Practical planning

Echo Park Lake sits at 751 Echo Park Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026. Saturday hours are noon to 8 p.m., with Sunday running noon to 7 p.m.

Free shuttles run from remote lots to the festival grounds, which helps because Echo Park gets tight fast on summer weekends.

If you are stacking July plans after 626 Night Market or Taste of Japan, the Lotus Festival is the free, daytime API anchor with a fixed lake setting rather than a parking-lot night market.

When: July 11–12, 2026
Where: Echo Park Lake, 751 Echo Park Ave, Los Angeles, CA

Check recreation.parks.lacity.gov/lotusfestival for parking maps, shuttle details, and any schedule updates.