Put the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival on your calendar if you are planning a trip to the Triangle area soon. Thousands of lights and lanterns illuminate the night sky during this festival. This year I was really excited to visit the festival with my significant other and friends. This would be our third year visiting!
The lanterns shine brightly in Cary, North Carolina, for the 7th year in a row. The festival takes place at the Koka Booth Amphitheater beginning on Friday and running until January 8, 2023. Visitors can expect to come from across the state to see the glowing pieces of art, according to Visit Raleigh. While attending you will view 40 all-new displays, each one comprised of hundreds of parts, and thousands of LED lights. You can also enjoy food, drinks, and cultural arts performances each night on the main stage.
Our visit was fairly crowded, though not overly so. The weather was rainy but warm. I was just happy it wasn’t as freezing as when we went in 2019. Check out that visit here. You can get some hot chocolate (spiked or not) at the concessions before you walk around if you love it. This year I switched it up and got myself a cold one. It was 60 degrees out which no offense, is not hot chocolate weather. In addition to the kaleidoscope you can step inside, there is a ton of interactive pieces, pandas, dinosurces, flowers and magnificent zodiac pieces. One of my favorite lanterns was the animatronic birds. You could speak into the device and they would move and talk back. It was so cool! If you want a sneak preview, check out my photos of my 2022 visit below.
The Talking Birds and Dinos!
These were the coolest! They talk when you speak into the box. Little ones will love this feature during the event. I also really love all the new dinosaur lanterns this year.
