Winter Lantern Festival to Convey Mild, Tradition and Household Enjoyable to Jamestown Settlement

JAMESTOWN — The Winter Lantern Festival will illuminate Jamestown Settlement this season with a stunning show of shade, tradition, and group from Nov. 13 via Jan. 4.

Hosted by Collider Entertainment, the occasion blends centuries-old Chinese custom with a contemporary winter celebration.

“This is our first year in Jamestown,” mentioned XiaoTian Falig, CEO of Collider Entertainment.

The firm launched its first competition on Staten Island, New York, impressed by lantern festivals Falig’s household attended in China.

“In China, they would have these lantern festivals during the wintertime,” she mentioned. “It was a big family thing, people would go out, bundle up, and enjoy the lights together.”

After a pause in 2020 because of the pandemic, the competition returned as a drive-through expertise earlier than resuming its conventional walk-through format in 2022. This yr, the Jamestown version will characteristic designs that mirror the realm’s historical past.

“Jamestown has a very unique and special exhibit,” she mentioned. “We brought in lanterns like porcelain vases and a dragon piece with lights and colors that tie into their theme.”

The occasion can even embrace dwell performances by the Zigong Acrobatic Troupe, an award-winning group that turned a crowd favourite when it debuted final yr. Performances run all through the night, with 20-minute exhibits each hour.

“People really enjoy it,” she mentioned. “They also try and engage the audience as well.”

Falig mentioned the competition was designed to enchantment to everybody.

“We want it to be something that is for everyone, for families, for retired couples looking for a walk after dinner, maybe a small date night,” she mentioned.

That inclusivity is a defining a part of the occasion. Falig recalled a visitor who thanked the group for making the competition accessible.

“She said this is one of the very few outdoor events that her kids can enjoy because they’re in a wheelchair,” she mentioned. “We thought that piece was really special.”

Visitors can anticipate an roughly one-hour expertise that includes a guided lantern path, cultural displays, and dwell leisure. Each lantern show is designed in collaboration with artists in each the United States and China.

“We have a chief lantern designer,” she mentioned. “We design both in-house here in the States and also back in China. The bigger pieces are made there and shipped over.”

For Falig, the center of the competition lies in sharing Chinese heritage with new audiences.

“To be able to share not only the lanterns, but also the culture behind them, that’s important to me,” she mentioned. “I feel very happy when people know a little bit more about what the dragon means or what the Chinese zodiac represents.”

She in contrast the competition to the spirit of Thanksgiving, emphasizing household, meals and gratitude.

“It’s about gathering together and wishing for prosperity, health and good luck for the next year,” she mentioned.

The Winter Lantern Festival runs Thursdays via Sundays from 5 to 10 p.m. at Jamestown Settlement, with the final entry at 9 p.m. Learn extra here. Tickets begin at $18 and can be found via the festival’s website.