Everything you need to know about the 2024 Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival

The Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival is set to celebrate the Year of the Dragon in Franklin Square.

This rain-or-shine event will run from June 20 to Aug. 18 at the wheelchair accessible park at Sixth and Race Streets. Attendees can expect a family-friendly outing with impressive illuminated displays, cultural performances, a fountain show, and a 200-foot-long dragon.

Planning to visit? Here’s what to know about the 2024 Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival.

The festival is open daily from June 20 through Aug. 18, 6 to 11 p.m. (excluding July 4). Franklin Square will close at 5 p.m. each day for preparations.

Tickets can be purchased online. Timed tickets are required for entry on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. There is no re-entry, so plan to stay a while.

Monday to Thursday: Adults pay $25; seniors (ages 65+), military with ID (including a plus-one), and ages 13-17 pay $23.

Friday to Sunday: Adults pay $28; seniors (ages 65+), military with ID (including a plus-one), and ages 13-17 pay $26.

Monday to Sunday: Children 3-12 pay $16; 2 and under enter for free.

Note: The festival does not offer refunds for unused tickets, but they can be rescheduled for a later date.

Enter the festival at the corner of Sixth and Race Streets. Experience giant illuminated lanterns, brilliant displays, and the iconic 200-foot-long dragon.

The Rendell Family Fountain will feature a colorful daily show, sponsored by Tianyu Arts & Culture and set to “Little Apple” by the Chopstick Brothers, at 6, 6:30, 7, 8, 8:30, 9:30, 10, and 10:30 p.m.

Chinese folk artists will showcase traditional art forms, including aluminum braiding and lantern painting. Three stages will feature live performances every night from artistic hula-hoopers, folk dancers, and more at 7:30, 9, and 10:15 p.m.

Chinese cultural demonstrations will be staged on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. On these days, you can take photos with the Face Changer performer at 6:30 p.m., learn dumpling-making at 7:15 and 9 p.m., and take a folk dance lesson at 8:15 p.m.

A variety of food and drink vendors will be available, including Oishii, Sang Kee, SquareBurger by Cooperage, Humpty’s Dumplings, Hunnypie, and Lotus Cocktail Garden by Cooperage.

Enjoy Asian-inspired foods, burgers, chicken tenders, fusion dumplings (think cheesesteak, buffalo chicken, jackfruit burrito), pizzas, and a selection of beers, wines, and specialty cocktails.

All vendors accept cash and credit cards.

Take SEPTA bus routes 17, 33, and 48 to get close to Franklin Square. The Broad Street line’s Chinatown stop is a four-minute walk from the park, and the Market-Frankford Fifth Street Station stop is about a seven-minute walk.

Parking is available at PPA AutoPark at Independence Mall, located between Fifth and Sixth Streets and Market and Arch Streets (under the Independence Visitor Center), and the National Constitution Center, located at Fifth and Race Streets.

There is also three-hour metered parking along Race Street between Sixth and Seventh Streets and on Sixth Street between Vine and Race Streets.

Proceeds from the festival go to Historic Philadelphia, which operates and manages Franklin Square, to support the park and other events and programs throughout the year.