![]() ![]() Franklin Square will glow with 28 larger-than-life illuminated groupings of 1,500 individual works of art with more than 15,000 LED lights in brilliant colors. Watercolor painting based on a photo I took of a couple strolling through the displays.The spectacular Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival in Franklin Square is a celebration of light and culture that features artisans from China creating magnificent steel-framed and silk-wrapped giant lighted sculptures, using traditional Chinese If you’d like to see more photos, check out my gallery album on flickr! I’d love to go to China one day, but till then it’s awesome that there are events and festivals like this to get a little taste of the country. There were only a few people here and there doing the same, so luckily it wasn’t crowded at all. I probably spent about an hour walking around and taking pictures during the weekday afternoon I was there. The traditional color for the lanterns, red, symbolizes luck and good fortune, and often times the lanterns would have riddles on them for people to solve. It had its start back in the Han Dynasty(206 B.C.), with the construction of the lanterns being quite simple unless you were very wealthy. The festival is traditionally held on the 15th day of the 1st month in the Chinese Calendar, that falls around February-March, and marks the end of the Chinese New Year. In Chinese, it’s known as the “Yuan Xiao Festival”, which comes from the food yuanxiao, which are rice balls with various fillings that people eat on that day. Must be beautiful lit up at night!Ī little history on Chinese Lantern Festivals I loved these hanging lanterns that you walked underneath. The sign said this was the leopard display, but they looked like cheetahs to me! They were all so vibrant and colorful, it was hard to pick a favorite! Each display had a small sign explaining what it was and the meaning behind it. When I got there it was day time, so I wandered around and took a bunch of pictures of all the displays. They made them all cute cartoonish animals. The displays were pretty big, you could tell a lot of work went into making these. More information can be found on the official website. ![]() At night the sculptures are all lit up with thousands of LED lights, and there are various live performances going on and authentic food vendors to choose from. It’s open for free during the day time till 5 or 6pm, but in the evenings from 7-11pm(Sunday-Thursday) or 6-11pm(Friday-Saturday) it costs $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and military, and $12 for children to get in. *In 2017 when I took these pictures it was from May 9th to June 11th. The dates are different every year, but for the 2018 season it’s held between May 1st and June 30th. Located in the historic section of Philly, it’s just a block north from the Independence Visitor’s Center, and not too far of a walk from the bus station or center city. The Chinese Lantern Festival is held at Franklin Square, Philadelphia. The big Chinese Archway marked the entrance to the park and festival, at the corners of Race and 6th Street. If you’re in Philadelphia in May or June check out these beautiful outdoor art displays of Chinese lanterns! There beautiful sets consisting of many different sculpture pieces from the traditional Chinese hanging lanterns, to pandas, leopards, butterflies, and even the famous Terra Cotta army. This post may contain a few affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through them I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. ![]()
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