These pictures are just a tiny taster of what you can expect when the first ever Chinese Lantern Festival in London lands at Chiswick House Gardens on February 3.
The month-long celebration, running until March 6, will celebrate Chinese New Year – the Year of the Monkey – with more than 50 giant, hand-sculpted lanterns in a garden trail.
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This festival is the brainchild of Weli Creative Director, David Lee and Creative Director,
Ian Xiang, who said: “"London was chosen as the first city to host this amazing, 29-day festival of light, due to
its status as the multicultural centre of the Western World.
"And we selected an iconic venue for this iconic event, providing a unique, cultural
experience and marking the fifteenth day of the Lunisolar year’s first month and the last
day of the Lunar New Year celebration.”
The lanterns will be arranged into Corridors of Light, with vividly themed zones including life-sized flamingos, zebras and kangaroos in the Animal Kingdom (a nod to the Duke of Devonshire who used to keep the animals in the gardens), and an Enchanted Forest with oversized mushrooms, plants and flowers.
The centre piece will feature a 66-metre long centrepiece dragon, a recreation of Beijing’s Temple of Heaven and a lantern Terracotta Army.
Alongside the lanterns, there will be international foods, hot drinks and gifts.
Tickets cost £16 adults, £10 children, £14 concessions or £48 families in advance or £18/£12/£16/£56 on the door. Go to magicallantern.co.uk
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