Chinese Lantern Festival, Raleigh, NC

 We went to visit Claire and her family in Raleigh last weekend. They will travel to Daniel's parents for Christmas this year so we popped down to see them for the holiday and to attend Matthew's piano recital. Matthew gave a fine solo performance and he played duet with his sister. It was fun watching all the performers, from the youngest beginners to the accomplished teens. 

That evening, Claire treated us all with tickets to the tenth annual Chinese Lantern Festival. It was a spectacle of lights and color! I had no idea what to expect from such an event and it certainly was beyond anything I could have imagined. The displays were very large and the area they covered was enormous. We wandered along a maze of paths, through a tunnel and into large expanses of color and light. It was a feast for the senses. We thought about all the work it must take to set up such a display. Everything was made of wire sculptures covered in colorful nylon-type fabric, and lit from within. It really was amazing. 

The one negative aspect of the event was the crowds of people. Apparently they only allow a certain number of ticket holders in for a given time slot. What that number is, I do not know. But there is no one telling you to leave at the end of your time slot so the crowd just builds and builds. We arrived at a 6:00pm time slot. In some areas we were part of a river of people, slowly flowing along the paths, shoulder to shoulder. It was difficult to stop and appreciate some of the sculptures because you couldn't navigate out of the flow of people. If I were to attend again, I would choose the first time slot and be there before the crowds build up. They did have food and drink vendors, although we only partook of some mini donuts for which we stood in a long line right before we left. They were warm and good and worth the wait. 

The tunnel at the entrance.

 

The size and scope of the festival is visible in relation to the size of the people, in comparison.

 

These are all wire sculptures with colorful fabric stretched over the frame and lights inside.

 

 

 

This massive golden snake sculpture is an incredible 164 feet long and almost 20 feet high, It floats on Symphony Lake and is visible from the roadway leading in to the exhibit. Its reflection on the water was beautiful.