One of the many things I love about LA is its celebration of cultures. We can visit the Museum of Tolerance to learn about the Holocaust, or shop and dine on Olvera Street while reflecting on the origins of the city. This winter, the Pomona Fairplex will host the Hanart Culture Chinese Lantern Festival, designed to celebrate Chinese culture through art, food, and more.

Chinese Lantern Festival

The Chinese Lantern Festival illuminates the night with over 1,000 beautifully handcrafted lanterns. Each lantern ranges in size from 12 – 35 feet tall and combines art, tradition, and culture. Traditionally, these lanterns would vary in construction from fine silk or glass over the best wood used in Palaces to red gauze stretched over bamboo. Today, these lanterns are crafted using modern materials and technology with colored LED lightbulbs, musical enhancements and sound effects, and visual moving parts to create imaginative shapes.

This year’s theme is “Blooming Seasons” and showcases exotic flowers, trees, plants, insects, mammals, and reptiles. Throughout the hillside, guests will see brilliant lanterns depicting the Amazon Jungle, fruit tree groves, peach blossoms, maple leaves, poppies, cactuses, squirrels, foxes, and more.

The Lantern Festival is one of China’s most traditional celebrations. The lanterns, which date back to the Han Dynasty, have evolved over time when they were used for lighting. Now an art form, Chinese lanterns are an important part of festivals and celebrations across the globe.

Throughout the festival, families will enjoy Asian and American cuisine, authentic live Chinese folk musical concerts and traditional dance shows, mythical creature rides, demonstrations (paper cutting, sugar painting, Chinese fabric art, and Chinese embroidery), holiday displays, and photos with lantern Santa Claus. Families can also shop the folk craft marketplace will feature authentic Chinese jewelry, artifacts, dough figurines, Chinese embroidery art, sugar art, paper-cut, and fabric art, all available for purchase.

Chinese Lantern Festival Blooming Seasons

Chinese Lantern Festival Tickets and Location

The Chinese Lantern Festival runs every Thursday through Sunday, November 21, 2019 through January 5, 2020 at the Glade, Picnic Hill and Lagoon at Fairplex Pomona (1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona, CA 91768).

Tickets are available online and at the gate for $13-$27. Fairplex parking is $12.

Tips for Visiting the Chinese Lantern Festival

Arrive early to watch the beautiful transition from day to night.
Pick up the event brochure and note show times so you don’t miss a thing!
Check the forecast and dress appropriately for weather conditions (it can get very cold at night).
Wear comfortable shoes as the entire exhibit requires a good amount of walking.

For additional information visit ChineseLanternFestival.com

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Caryn Bailey

Caryn is a NICU nurse by day, blogger by night and mom 24/7. She savors the warm Southern California sun and loves to travel, shopping, baking, reading and frequenting her local tea room. Caryn created the column Lavishly Green for Peekaboo Picks Magazine to share her best tips for going green in style, she is the Former editor for Family Review Network, former OC Family Magazine online contributor, former Orange County Moms Blog contributor, former Evenflo Savvy Parent contributor, former member of the Totsy Advisory Board and former freelance writer for CBS Los Angeles.