Franklin Square Park Prepares For Upcoming Chinese Lantern Festival
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Giant dragons, pandas and monkeys are just some of the colorful Chinese lanterns being assembled inside Franklin Square Park, for the annual Chinese Lantern Festival starting next month.
A crane lifted a head of a dragon lantern on to its body, which is more than 20 feet high and 200 feet long, as crews were securing lines to hold the creation into place.
More from #ChineseLanternFestival at @FranklinSqr with @JohnMcDevittKYW #PhillyLanternFest @KYWNewsradio pic.twitter.com/46EDX9rpra
— Holli Stephens (@wordsbyholli) April 25, 2017
Amy Needle is the President & CEO of Historic Philadelphia Inc. the organization that oversees programming for Franklin Square Park.
She says artisans from China have been in Philadelphia for a month creating displays for the lantern festival.
"These creatures weren't just shipped here from China, people were here as they are now hand crafting them building the structures out of a steel base then covering them with silk, then hand painting them."
Behind the scenes with @JohnMcDevittKYW at @FranklinSqr for #ChineseLanternFestival #PhillyLanternFest @KYWNewsradio pic.twitter.com/8opIJaFTgd
— Holli Stephens (@wordsbyholli) April 25, 2017
There will be more than 1,500 individual sculptures making up 29 illuminated lantern displays at this year's lantern festival.
The festival runs May 9 - June 11, and for ticket information visit www.historicphiladelphia.org.
