Philly’s Most Colorful Festival is Back For the Summer

One of the richest displays in a city known for its art, the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival brings over 1100 sculptures to light up the night. The creations are intriguing to view for free during the day, but after dark is when they are truly impressive.

We’ve visited the festival three of the last four years (it’s one of our favorites!) and are consistently blown away by the artistry and creativity. We’ve put together this guide to help you know what to expect and get the most out of an evening here.

In a nutshell… This incredible festival lights up Franklin Square with exquisite lanterns, including interactive displays and walk-through tunnels. A fountain show and numerous cultural performances and workshops add to the atmosphere and experience. Plus, the food and drinks are good, too. It runs nightly through August 31, 2025. We highly recommend it. Read on for the details.

Lantern displays and games

Every year, all (or nearly all) of the lanterns are brand new to the city. That means, if you go year after year, there are always unique pieces to see and experience. The combination of the beautiful lanterns, unique entertainment, and food makes the Chinese Lantern Festival a must do.

The hand-painted, lighted sculptures are made using traditional Chinese methods and take weeks to install around the square. This year, a mythical deer relaxes in a forest, fish and lobsters float through a seascape, and lilies open. You can walk through an octopus-shaped corridor and enjoy a fountain show with choreographed lights, water, and music that plays multiple times throughout the evening.

In addition to the static lanterns, many of the works move or are interactive. There are games, light-up walkways that change color when you step on them, swings, and even a volcano spewing smoke. The cool “jellyfish infinity room” has dozens of illuminated jellyfish hanging inside a cube with mirrored walls to give the impression that they go on forever. Adding more motion-activated sculptures over the years has made the festival even more kid-friendly, but lots of adults enjoy getting in on the action, too.

Every corner of the park holds a new, illuminated surprise with over 10,000 LED lights in total. Every year, we make numerous loops around the square to see the lanterns as it gets darker and to appreciate all the creative elements.

Entertainment and artistry

Nightly entertainment adds to the whole experience. Artists from China include folk dancers in traditional costume, acrobats, and performers who complete balancing acts that seem nearly impossible. We always make sure to see the dramatic Chinese face changer who draws a huge crowd.

There are 3 30-minute performances every night at 7:30pm, 9pm, and 10:15pm. They are interspersed with the fountain shows, so there is something happening at least every half-hour from 6-10:30pm.

If you’re in the mood for shopping, folk artists sell their creations like fantastic aluminum creatures, painted lanterns, and bottles decorated on the inside with intricate images and calligraphy. It’s fun to watch the artists work in the area right beside the main bar. Friday through Sunday evenings, there are lessons in Baduanjin, a traditional form of Qigong exercise, and you can learn to make delicious dumplings straight from the folks at Sang Kee.

Eating and drinking

The quality of food and the pricing are consistently good. SquareBurger has burgers, ice cream, and chicken tenders, and Chickie’s and Pete’s is there for your Crabfries fix.

To keep with the theme, we always go for the Asian food. Sang Kee is our favorite and is located right beside the fountain. They offer everything from cold Dan Dan noodles (nice on a hot day) to pork dumplings. Oishii also has Asian specialties like beef bao buns and Korean meatballs. We also love Humpty’s Dumplings, especially the cheesesteak and Asian pork varieties.

Prices are average (or maybe even slightly below) for a festival of this kind, with a platter of teriyaki grilled chicken and vegetable fried rice running $16, 2-piece vegetarian spring rolls for $7, and chicken tenders and burgers for $9. The quality of food and drinks is also far superior to what we’ve experienced at similar events.

The Octopus Beer Garden has cocktails, mocktails, wine, and beer. Don’t miss the koi crush, a fruity drink with popping Boba that’s served in a fish bowl. It’s available in alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions. Beyond the beer garden, there are plenty of options for drinks, including watermelon smoothies and a pineapple smoothie at Sang Kee that is served in a whole pineapple.