Celebrate the Year of the Snake in Franklin Square! The Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival in Franklin Square is a celebration of light and culture featuring silk-wrapped steel-framed sculptures lighting up the night sky. The sculptures are larger than life and include archways, pop-culture references, mechanical sculptures, and more all done in brilliant colors.

The Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival lights up Franklin Square from June 20 through August 31, open daily from 6–11 pm. Guests can view the lanterns for free during the day, but a ticket is required for nighttime entry after 6 pm. Timed tickets are needed on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with the last entry at 10:30 pm. Franklin Square remains open during regular daytime hours.

New for 2025

New for 2025, this year’s lantern festival features over 1,100 glowing creations across nearly 40 dazzling displays for guests to explore. Fan favorites like the 200-foot-long dragon are back, along with fresh additions like Light-Up Painting—a glowing tabletop piece with scenes of pandas, butterflies, castles, peacocks, and dragons. Each comes with three light settings: warm, white, and neutral.

All The Usual Faves

In addition to the gorgeous light installations, visitors can enjoy live cultural stage performances, see the choreographed fountain light show in the historic Rendell Family Fountain, taste expanded food and drink options including Asian cuisine and American comfort food, drink a toast at the Dragon Beer Garden, and shop for Chinese folk artists’ crafts created on site as well as Festival-themed merchandise. Guests can also play Philly Mini Golf and ride the Parx Liberty Carousel at a discounted rate. A portion of the proceeds from the Festival benefits Historic Philadelphia, Inc.

But Wait! There’s More!

The Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival Student Design Contest gives area students the opportunity to design a lantern for the 2025 Festival. Children ages 8-14 are invited to submit a drawing of a snake to celebrate the Year of the Snake. Winning drawings will be crafted into lanterns and displayed during the Festival. The students will be able to take the lantern home with them at the conclusion of the Festival.

Lantern Festival History

For centuries, the Lantern Festival has marked the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in China—a time to pray for a good harvest and honor Taiyi, the god of heaven. One legend tells of a god who planned to punish humans by setting fire to the earth, but a wise man saved them by urging everyone to light torches, lanterns, and fireworks to trick the god into thinking the world was already burning. In ancient times, lanterns were simple, with ornate versions reserved for emperors and noblemen. Today, lanterns showcase intricate, artistic designs like those featured at the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival. Major cities across China still host annual light festivals that attract millions of visitors, and during Chinese New Year, families gather to admire lanterns that share legends and preserve cultural stories.

Skilled Chinese artists and craftsmen build the lantern sculptures on site, transforming Franklin Square into a magical wonderland in just a few weeks. They weld steel frames into outlined shapes, string hundreds of LED lights inside, and wrap each frame in plain silk. After gluing the silk in place, they hand-paint animals, flowers, patterns, and other designs to complete each piece. When the lights switch on, the silk glows in the dark. Each larger-than-life lantern wows visitors with its craftsmanship, cultural significance, and artistic beauty.

Photo credit to Jeff Fusco for Tianyu, lead photo by Pamela Badolato.