Hello Panda Festival at Citi Field
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Head to Citi Field this winter,
where bright lanterns, international
cuisine and cultural
arts will collide.
From Friday, December 6
to Sunday, January 26, 2020,
the Flushing stadium plays
host to the fi rst-ever Hello
Panda Festival, produced by
CPAA North America. Spanning
750,000 square feet, the
landmark event will feature
over 120 handcrafted lanterns,
global food vendors curated
by The World’s Fare and
arts experiences including
live performances, modern
art exhibits, a holiday market
and traditional crafts.
“Hello Panda’s mission
is to not only give New Yorkers
and visitors something
they’ve never seen before
but also deliver an experience
they can’t fi nd anywhere
else,” said Winston Wang, general
manager of CPAA North
America. “Our festival will
offer a variety of immersive
and social media moments
that introduce guests to the
artistry of lantern-making
while bringing different communities
together through
food and culture.”
The festival’s lantern display
is sure to delight with
over 300,000 LED lights and
several interactive elements.
Some of the world’s leading
lantern artisans will handcraft
and paint over 120 dis-
From Friday, December 6 to Sunday, January 26, 2020, the Flushing stadium plays host to the fi rst-ever Hello Panda Festival . Photo credit: Hello Panda
plays to refl ect the tradition,
innovation and creativity of
the Chinese art.
Attendees can explore
six different lantern theme
parks which deliver distinct,
immersive experiences. The
never-before-seen exhibits
will be spread throughout the
parks: Dream World, Holiday
Wonderland, Discovery Zone,
Interactive Music Zoe, Sports
World and Community Interactive
Zone. Display highlights
include the world’s tallest
Christmas tree lantern,
life-sized dinosaurs and safari
animals, a huge fairytale
castle and a 98-foot-long light
tunnel.
Food will also be one of
the main attractions at this
year’s Hello Panda festival
through a partnership with
The World’s Fare. Organizers
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of the largest and most diverse
food and drink event in
New York City will lend their
tastemakers to curate vendors
in the tented and heated
food pavilion. Foodies can
choose dishes from 60 diverse
vendors offering a wide selection
of global cuisines.
“The World’s Fare is honored
to partner with Hello
Panda to celebrate culture in
the most diverse city in the
world,” said Joshua Schneps,
CEO of World’s Fare. “There
was a natural synergy between
the mission of the festival
and our organization and
we couldn’t be more excited to
take this journey together.”
Hello Panda will feature
both traditional and modern
cultural arts through live
performances, galleries and
a holiday market across six
giant heated tent areas. The
festival will showcase nightly
music from local and international
acts from different
genres including dance,
Latin, pop and hip-hop.
Visitors can also view a
collection of galleries featuring
works of emerging global
artist and even get in on the
fun with DIY experiences
like papercutting, sugar
painting, embroidery, cotton
candy art led by artist instructors.
“Citi Field is a place where
people from all walks of life
come together and share an
amazing experience,” said
Heather Collamore, vice president
of Metropolitan Hospitality
at Citi Field. “The Hello
Panda Festival is a unique
event that promotes cultural
exchange while delighting
the child in all of us.”
Hello Panda is open seven
days a week from 5 to 10 p.m.,
Friday, December 6 to Sunday,
January 26, 2020. CPAA
also plans to produce the even
in Vernon, New Jersey from
Friday, October 18 to Sunday,
February 2, 2020 and at the
World Vacation Hotel from
Friday, October 25 to Sunday,
March 22, 2020.
Tickets will go on sale beginning
Thursday, September
12. Ticket prices range
from $22 to $28 minus tax
and service fees. For more
information, visit www.hellopandafest.
com or follow @
hellopandafest on Instagram
and Twitter and Facebook.
BP Diaz provides $7.3
million to Bronx schools
With the new school year just beginning,
Borough President Ruben
Diaz, Jr. announced that his office
has provided $7.3 million in new
capital funding to public schools in
every corner of the borough, as part
of his FY2020 capital budget allocations.
“Our communities depend on
public schools to provide our children
with a quality education and
I am proud to ensure their growth
through my capital budget each
year,” said Borough Presiden Diaz.
“Investing in the education of Bronx
children strengthens our borough
because they are the leaders and the
great minds of the future.”
This year, Diaz provided $7,341,000
to 56 public school projects across the
Bronx. This represents 23 percent of
his entire capital budget allocation
for FY2020.
Notable projects in this year’s allocation
include $600,000 to renovate
the cafeteria at Bronx High School
of Science in Bedford Park, $225,000
to build a new gym bleacher for the
Academy of Applied Mathematics
and Technology in Mott Haven,
$150,000 to upgrade a multi-purpose
space used for physical education at
the Bathgate Educational Campus
and $87,000 for a hydroponic science
lab at P754X in Mott Haven.
“Each of these schools will be better
equipped to challenge and expand
the minds of their young scholars
with the upgrades funded this year,”
he said. “We must ensure that our educators
have the resources to guide
Bronx children into reaching their
full learning potential.”
A complete list of this year’s allocations
can be found at https://
on.nyc.gov/2m7JanH.
/2m7JanH
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