The beloved Chinese Lantern Festival of Philadelphia is back and illuminates Franklin Square with more than 1,100 sculptures. Different groups and themes will be shown, including an enchanted forest, an underwater seascape and more.
2025 marks the year of the snake in the Chinese zodiac. The celebration starts on Friday 20 June and runs until 31 August, every evening from 6 pm to 11 pm (excluding July 4).
“It is really a celebration of art and culture and light,” said Amy Needle, CEO and president of the historic Philadelphia. “It is a wonderful evening for families, for couples, for multigenerational families.”
The festival has a brand new line-up of hand-painted, handmade lanterns made of steel frames. This year returns is the huge, 6000 pounds Dragon Lantern, which extends longer than three school buses. In addition to the light displays, visitors can enjoy food, live performances, traditional crafts for sale and a fountain show. Franklin Square’s mini golf course and carousel will also be open to extra family -friendly pleasure.
Needle suggested going to the festival when the gates open at 6 pm to enjoy the “functions” of the park and then stay while the sun goes down.
“I think the lanterns really look the best in the dark,” she said. “It is very cool to see that they go from daylight to darkness and that glow that comes up.”
Food, pleasure and face changes
This year the festival includes cultural compelling weekend activities in the Franklin Square pavilion, including a workshop with rods and Baduanjin Movement.
There will also be a series of performances at the festival, such as chair acrobatics, in which artists stack seats high in the air – often on a small base – and balance themselves in extreme positions. Jugglers, Waterspinners and face changes come up the stage to surprise the audience with their profession.
“The favorite of the fan is the face change,” Naald said. “It is a Chinese opera act and with the click of a finger he changes his mask. You really have no idea how it was done.” The art form, known as Bianlian, is an old tradition that dates 300 years.
And the whole neighborhood is busy with the pleasure. Historisch Philadelphia will collaborate with shops in Chinatown To offer special deals during the festival.
“If [you] I have not been to Chinatown for a long time, dine in Chinatown and then come to the festival, “said Naald.” We do a ‘Panda -Promotion“With Chinatown where you can get discounts in certain restaurants with your Lantern ticket.”
Cards and come there
Historical Philadelphia proposes to buy tickets in advance. Monday to Thursday is GA tickets $ 27 for adults, $ 25 for seniors and active military and $ 16 for children. During the weekend, tickets are timed and prices for seniors, active soldiers and adults are an extra $ 2. There will also be a new, unlimited access festival pass that is $ 80 for adults and $ 45 for children during the duration of the festival. Children 2 and go under for free.
Part of the proceeds from the event goes to the maintenance of Franklin Square.
This year it is easier than ever to go to the festival, thanks to the new Patco station on Franklin Square. If you haven’t done that yet, the celebration is a great excuse to view the renovated stop of $ 29.3 million, complete with a chic glass input.
Moreover, several septa bus routes fall near the square, just like NJ Transit. The square is also accessible from the station of Jefferson or the Blue Line on 8th or 5th streets.
If you plan to drive, as part of a donation, Spothero offers a discount parking at locations in the area. It’s best to Reserve your place via this link Instead of the app.
‘A great summer tradition’
The Chinese lantern festival of Philly debuted for the first time in 2016 and has since attracted hundreds of thousands of those present. Making every lantern made and fed to light up requires a lot of preparation and planning.
This year, more than 20 of the lantern groups will be interactive. There will be single and multi-player games, as well as compelling displays.
According to the historic Philadelphia, the majority of the lanterns in China was made and shipped to Philadelphia. Others are made here in the city.
“Many lanterns are made on the spot on Franklin Square,” said Needle. “We are really starting to plan this festival as soon as it is over [last year]And start talking about which designs we should have. ‘
“They design the lanterns, literally make them on paper,” she added. “Then that is transferred to these metal frames that are then wrapped in silk and by hand. And much of it happens on the square.”
The annual student competition of the festival also returns. Four of the lanterns created are re -creations of winning drawings of elementary and high school students.
Compiling the entire festival is not a small achievement. More than 120 people and 20,000 hours of work went into this year’s displays, including Dragonfly Swings, a coral reef, a erupting volcano, a blue-ringe octopus, tropical birds, peacocks, jaguars and more.
“It’s really a very full evening,” said Naald. “And a great summer tradition that is back!”
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