Last year the Chinese Lantern Festival at Franklin Square brought in over 90,000 people and became the very first event of its type in the Northeast. With the help of social media, the festival’s popularity grew so much that it came back for a second year! If you haven’t made it over to Franklin Square yet, you have until June 18th to see this spectacular event.
This summer, The Barach Group took a trip down to the Chinese Lantern Festival during the day to view the display in the daylight and without the nightly crowds. Before 5pm, Franklin Square’s park and playgrounds are open as usual, but with the wonderful addition of 29 Chinese lanterns. However, after 6pm the festival truly comes to life. A 200-foot-long Chinese dragon is illuminated, live performances begin, and themed food and drink vendors open their doors.
While at the festival, be sure to stop by the Dragon Beer Garden to enjoy draft beers, wine, and specialty cocktails right alongside the massive Chinese dragon lantern. Grab a Sweet and Sour Burger and a Fortune Cookie Shake from Square Burger and head on down to an 8pm acrobatics or plate-spinning performance. But, maybe wait a while before you hop on the Parx Liberty Carousel.
Dragon Beer Garden; Photo credit to http://historicphiladelphia.org/chineselanternfestival/
Take a look at the creations from the Chinese Lantern Festival Student Design contest to see how artists were able to turn children’s drawings into actual sculptures. The winner of the contest will send the sculpture home with the child artist! Ticket prices include admission to all of the park’s attractions, aside from the food and drink, so feel free to stick around and explore until the festival closes!
- Sea Life Lanterns; Photo credit to http://historicphiladelphia.org/chineselanternfestival/
For more information about the event, please visit the festival’s official website.