Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival: An Illuminated Experience
- M. Graves
- Jun 13, 2018
- 2 min read
This past week, I made my way to the beautiful city of Philadelphia. I was able to visit many places and take in several sights while I was there, but today I wanted to share with all of you my visit to the 3rd Annual Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival.
Held in Franklin Square, this festival contains an assortment of activities showcasing the Chinese Culture. Daily performances include: plate spinners, jar jugglers, contortionists, and the traditional Chinese art of face changing. If you have never witnessed face changing before, it truly is a magical, remarkable, and somewhat puzzling sight to see.
Featured Chinese folk artists include: painters, wire weavers and crystal engravers. You can watch them in action and even request customized work on-site for purchase. The festival also offers a Dragon Beer Garden, an assortment of culturally inspired snacks, and access to the playground, Philly Mini Golf, and the Parx Liberty Carousel contained within the park.
There is definitely no shortage of things to do here, but the real attraction here are their lantern sculptures. These delicate lanterns, created with silk and thousands of LED lights can be seen during the day, but when the sun sets, the lanterns really come to life. I could go on and on about the beauty and the amazing craftsmanship of these lanterns, but I will let a few of my pictures from the festival speak for me.
The Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival is going on now through June 30th. The park is open and accessible in the daytime for free, however timed tickets are required for entry in the evenings. If you find yourself in the area, I would definitely recommend that you add this event to your itinerary. Tickets and more information can be found HERE.