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Chinese lantern festival lights up Philadelphia

Philadelphia is once again glowing with colourful lights. Every summer, thousands of lanterns turn the city's Franklin Square into a luminous wonderland for the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival. What began as a novel summer event in 2016 has blossomed into a cherished tradition for Philadelphia residents and now attracts visitors from across the US. There are more than a thousand handcrafted lanterns here - depicting intricate scenes from enchanted forests to the underwater world. “So each year the lanterns are all different. The lanterns are handmade. They are wire-framed, wrapped in silk and then hand-painted," explains Amy Needle, president and CEO of Historic Philadelphia, the event organizer. "It takes about a month to have the artisans, who come here to Philadelphia, make the lanterns and then light them all up and make it look beautiful. And visitors can stroll among the lanterns. We have three stage performances each night as well as fountain shows. There are crafters here, lots of food. It's a wonderful night out in the city,” she adds.
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