Celebrate the Year of the Dragon 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 will open on June 20 and run through August 18, open daily from 6 – 11 pm. Franklin Square is open during regular daytime hours and the lanterns can be seen for free during the daytime, with a nighttime ticket being required after 6 pm. Timed tickets are required on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with the last entry at 10:30 pm.

Photo by Jeff Fusco for Tianyu

New for 2024

There are 30 never-before-seen giant lantern displays this year!  Of course we’ll see the return of the ever-popular 200-foot-long dragon. “For 2024, Tianyu’s artists have designed some new imaginative creations,” said Jessie Li, from Tianyu Arts & Culture. “Every year we try to showcase original ideas, and this year visitors will have more interactive lanterns and see an array of flora, insects, animals, Chinese culture, pandas, and, of course, plenty of mesmerizing dragons for the Year of the Dragon.”

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.

Photo by Jeff Fusco for Tianyu

But Wait! There’s More!

The Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival Student Design Contest presented by Temple University gives area students the opportunity to design a lantern for the 2024 Festival. Students submitted their designs, and the winning drawings will be crafted into lanterns and displayed during the Festival.

Photo by Jeff Fusco for Tianyu

Lantern Festival History

For centuries, the Lantern Festival has been a Chinese festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunar calendar to pray for a good harvest, and gain favor of Taiyi, god of heaven. A legend tells of a god who wanted to punish humans by setting fire to the earth. An old, wise man hit upon an ingenious solution: he got people to light torches, lanterns, and fireworks to fool the god into thinking the world was already burning and leave mankind in peace. In ancient times, the lanterns were fairly simple, and only the emperor and noblemen had large ornate ones. In modern times, lanterns have been embellished with many complex designs such as the ones on view at the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival. Today, lantern festivals are still held each year around the country. Each major Chinese city has its own light festival which attract millions of visitors and tourists. During Chinese New Year, families go out to view the beautiful lanterns created by Chinese artists. Each light sculpture tells a legend or symbolizes an old Chinese story.

The lanterns are built with steel frames welded into outlined shapes, and then hundreds of LED lights are strung inside the lantern. Next, plain silk is wrapped and glued around each frame. Each lantern’s silk is hand-painted to create animals, flowers, patterns, and other designs to create each finished piece. Finally, when lights are turned on, the silk glows in the dark. A group of Chinese artists and craftsmen build the sculptures on the spot. In just a few weeks, Franklin Square is transformed into a magical wonderland. Each larger-than-life lantern will once again wow visitors with their amazing craftsmanship, cultural significance, and artistic beauty.

Thank you to Relief Communications for the press release. Photo credit to Jeff Fusco for Tianyu, lead photo by Pamela Badolato.