London Gems: 2016 Magical Lantern Festival
Chinese New Year celebrations may be over, but there is a secret place in London where you can relive them all over again until 6 March. Tucked away in Chiswick House & Gardens, the Magical Lantern Festival is an extravaganza of lights, culture, music and art. It takes you on a magical journey through gardens’ hidden paths exploring various themes and revealing 50 giant artistic lantern installations.
Without going to China, festival visitors can explore 2000-year tradition of celebrating the arrival of the lunar new year. Something I didn’t know before coming here is that in China lantern making has turned into a true craftsmanship. Reflecting rich Chinese cultural heritage lanterns became more and more intricate and ornate, often depicting large-scale dragons, members of the animal kingdom or famous landmarks.
Beautiful water lilies look like they are floating in garden’s fountain
To mark the Year of the Monkey 2016, a Mount Huaguo lantern with an illuminated waterfall will provide the fairytale setting for an intricate recreation of popular Chinese fable, The Monkey King.
What Chinese festival would be without cuttest pandas
Oversized
mushrooms, plants and flowers
Festival’s breathtaking centerpiece – a 66-metre-long dragon
Intricate light arches create an atmosphere of magic
Born in the Year of Snake according to Chinese zodiac, I had to take this photo!
Larger than life Terracotta Army lantern
May be not Chinese but still my favorite Nutcracker
The Magical Lantern Festival is visually spectacular and its beautifully sculpted life-size installations leave you breathless. So if you are living or visiting London, hurry up and get the tickets here before the Festival ends on 6 March.
