Spring in Philadelphia
Things to do | Travel | Philadelphia, PA | United States
Heading to Philadelphia this spring? If you’re in town between May 9th – June 11th, 2017, check out the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival! It features dozens of intricate, illuminated lantern displays in Franklin Park.
Chinatown
The Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival is held at Franklin Square, right next to Philadelphia’s Chinatown. The festival begins at 6pm every night, and while tickets are required to enter the festival, you can also visit Franklin Square during the day and view the un-lit lantern displays for FREE.
We visited during the day, and the displays were beautiful! Beautiful enough for us to want to return at night. Last year was the festival’s first year, and this year it has returned with all-new lanterns. Most notable are the 200-foot long Chinese dragon display and the adorable panda display.
Admission to the festival includes views of the lantern displays and various performances (such as acrobatics, martial arts, dancing, etc). The festival also features a Dragon Beer Garden along with SquareBurger, food vendors, and food trucks in case you get hungry. But if you want better food, we suggest walking to Chinatown!
PHILADELPHIA CHINESE LANTERN FESTIVAL
Address: Franklin Square 200 N 6th St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Hours: Sunday to Thursday 6PM – 10PM, Friday to Saturday 6PM – 11PM
Cost: Adult $17.00 / Youth (17 and younger) $12.00 / Senior (65 and over) & Military $15.00
For more information, visit the official website.
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Would you visit the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival? Why or why not?
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I miss Philly so much! And you have captured the essence of the festival so well…. will definitely be sharing your post! Xo
Aw, thank you so much!
Wow – these photos are gorgeous! Makes me want to visit just for this festival!
Love the lanterns, we have the same festival in Montreal! The pandas look soo cute!
This looks like so much fun. i would love to attend it one year. The panda lanterns are too cute!
They are, aren’t they? 🙂
Love both the pandas, and the terracotta warriors! Such vivid colors…do you know what they do with the lanterns if it rains?
The lanterns seemed weatherproof, so I would assume they’re just kept outside in the rain.
what a cute little festival . I’m always so happy to see gems of culture woven into america’s landscape
The Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival looks like a fun day out. I would definitely check out the Square Burger and Beer Garden. You took some wonderful pictures of the lanterns!
Thank you! The lanterns were beautiful, so they were easy to capture.
Philadelphia Chinese Lanterns Festival look so colorful and bright. Detailed described by you about how to go and when to go. Will definitely plan it when visit US
I m wondering if there is any form of lantern missing here. It is amazing how they can make such beautiful art and the ones that can fly. Had I been there, I would make two trips to the festival. One during the day to see all the artistic lanterns on display and another one during the night to witness magic unwind in the sky as the lanterns float high.
I was planning to come back at night but unfortunately ran out of time.
Ive always loved blogs that their visual message is greater than words! Looks like a fab place to visit and would be an excellent family day out. The kids would love it! Thanks for sharing
Aw thank you for your kind words!
The lantern displays look wonderful. The artists behind these pieces of art are amazing. They all look well-designed and intricate. You should have taken photos at night so you can show how they look like with lights.
Ah yes, I was planning on coming back at night but didn’t get a chance to!
I love love lanterns! I think this sounds like a great festival. I saw one in Thailand and ever since have been in love with the bright lanterns. Thanks for sharing the details!
This looks stunning, love the colors and the designs of the lanterns. It’s amazing to experience some of the local festivals and especially with the performances and some local cuisine to accompany. Definitely on the list whenever we get to visit US.