At sunset on Memorial Day, more than 6,000 glowing lanterns will drift in waters edging Ala Moana Beach Park’s Magic Island.

Affixed with messages to deceased loved ones, prayers and thoughts about peace, the lanterns will be launched during the 16th annual Lantern Floating Hawaii ceremony before a shoreline crowd of an estimated 50,000, including visitors from as far as Europe and South America.

For more than a decade, volunteer Glenn Vergara has been involved in the preparation.

It’s a "goose bumps" experience, said Vergara, a member of Shinnyo-en Hawaii and one of the leaders of the lantern ceremony committee. "It’s about harmony, peace."

It’s an event that extends beyond cultures, Vergara said, "everybody being as one regardless of race, religion or culture."

The ceremony, whose theme this year is "Many Rivers, One Ocean," will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday. Shinnyo-en sect leader Shinso Ito will ring a bell at 7 p.m. when the lanterns are placed in the water.

First held at Keehi Lagoon in 1999, the annual event moved to Magic Island in 2002. It observes both the upcoming Obon season and Memorial Day.

Other Memorial Day observances:

» U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) will deliver the keynote speech at the Memorial Day observance ceremony Sunday at the War Memorial Natatorium at 10 a.m. This year is the 100th anniversary of World War I; the natatorium pays tribute to the memory of more than 10,000 Hawaii veterans who served during that war.

»The 16th annual Roll Call of Honor in Remembrance Ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl is set for 10 a.m. Sunday.

The event is held by the Pacific American Foundation to honor Pacific-American veterans for their past and continuing service. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard will be the keynote speaker. This year’s special recognition will focus on veterans of the Vietnam era.

» The Mayor’s Memorial Day Service will be held Monday at 8:30 a.m. at Punchbowl. Parking at the cemetery is very limited, and the public is encouraged to use shuttle buses, which will operate from the Ala­pai Express Bus Terminal from 7 to 8 a.m. Bus passes will be accepted, and regular bus fares will be charged. Parking at the Civic Center parking lot will be free.

» Pacific Historic Parks and the National Park Service at World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument are offering fully narrated Pearl Harbor boat tours in a Memorial Day weekend fundraiser. The historic tours depart from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center and are available Saturday at 2:15 p.m., Sunday at 2:15 p.m. and Monday at 3:15 p.m. The 75-minute tour will take passengers around Ford Island to view the USS Utah Memorial, the narrow entrance to Pearl Harbor, the Battleship Missouri Memorial and historic Battleship Row. Each tour will be conducted by a National Park Service ranger and include a stop at the USS Arizona Memorial. The cost is $40.

» The Army will hold a Memorial Day remembrance ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday at the Schofield Barracks Post Cemetery that is open to the public. Col. Richard A. Fromm, commander of U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii, will be the speaker. Nonmilitary guests must enter Schofield Barracks via Lyman Gate off Kunia Road and provide a current driver’s license, vehicle registration, proof of insurance and safety check. All vehicle occupants 16 years of age and older must pre­sent a valid government form of identification such as a driver’s license or state ID card.

» The Governor’s Memorial Day Ceremony is slated for 1 p.m. Monday at Memorial Plaza, Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery, Kaneohe. Gov. Neil Abercrombie and state Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Darryll D.M. Wong will take part in the ceremony.