The Lantern Light Festival is at the Alameda County Fairgrounds from now until January 20th. While the Festival shares some elements with the Chinese New Year, like dragons and mouthwatering cuisine, it’s traditionally intended to mark the return of spring.
This would make a fun date night for anyone interested in “dinner and a show.” Festival goers can visit the many food vendors and enjoy a variety of live performances including Chinese acrobats who twirl, spin and defy gravity in brightly colored costumes. If you’re looking for a family outing during winter break, the Festival is kid friendly.
While all the sights and activities are bound to captivate, the pièce de résistance is, naturally, the lanterns. Each one has been created to look like three-dimensional stained glass and was handcrafted by a team of artisans over a period of four weeks. Besides being beautiful, the lanterns are also meaningful as they symbolize an illuminated future and the reunion of family. Made from hundreds of pieces of red silky cloth, these lanterns don’t float away. Instead, they light up the night from the ground up. Each lantern varies in size with the largest towering at a massive 300 feet high.
The Lantern Light Festival is a thrill for your senses. You’ll revel in the pageantry, delight in the artistry, and be mesmerized by the radiance of an illuminated 400-foot long dragon, 30-foot panda and a castle that you can explore.
Location:Alameda County Fairgrounds,Pleasanton,California
Date and Time:2018/11/30-2019/01/20
Thursday & Sunday 5-10pm
Friday & Saturday 5-11pm