Hello Panda Festival at Citi Field
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, D 52 ECEMBER 6-12, 2019 BTR
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BY ALEX MITCHELL
ALEX.MITCHELL@AMNY.COM
One of the brightest and ongoing
festivals in the city will keep you
warm at Citi Field this winter.
The city’s inaugural Hello Panda
Festival touches down in the World’s
Borough this weekend, sticking
around throughout January of next
year.
More than 120 massively illuminated
and handcrafted lanterns will
be on display, and guests will get to
enjoy great food provided by 30 magnifi
cent vendors at the festival organized
by CPAA North America and
The World’s Fare.
The displays feature more than
300,000 brightly-colored LED lights
and several interactive elements.
Visitors can explore six different
lantern theme parks, each of which
deliver distinct, immersive experiences.
The never-before-seen exhibits
will be spread throughout the festival
grounds: 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.
“Hello Panda’s mission is to bring
the epic scope and scale of China’s
best and brightest lantern festivals to
North America,” said Winston Wang,
General Manager of CPAA North
America. “We want to transport visitors
into a magical world fi lled with
sights and sounds they’ve never experienced
or even imagined,” he continued.
The World Fare, which has delighted
tens of thousands of visitors
to Citi Field the past two springs, is
not just providing great food vendors,
but also live performances,
modern art exhibits, a holiday market
and traditional crafts across six
giant heated tent areas.
This is the fi rst time that Hello
Panda will be coming to New York
City, a feat that brings pride to the organizers.
“We are thrilled to be a part of
The Hello Panda Festival, which is
#1 winter destination in Queens and
throughout New York City,” said Elizabeth
Aloni, President of The World’s
Fare. The World’s Fare has a fantastic
lineup of the best international
food vendors from bao to baked goods
plus a full bar serving seasonal cocktails,
beer and wine.
So of course, the most delicious
parts of Hello Panda will be handled
by many of the city’s well known
food vendors: Bolivian Llama Party,
Brooklyn Dumpling, C-Bao Ca’Pisci,
Cambodia Now, Chef Jimmy Creole
Vicious Cycle, Chori & Chimi, Dilena’s
Dolcini, Don Ceviche, Dough Donuts,
Down East Lobstah, Empanada
Papa, Four The Hard Way Jianbing
Company, and Joey Bats Café.
Also, Knot Of This World, La
Braza NYC, Made From Scratch,
NYC Mac Truck, Pete’s Hot Cider &
Tea, Pickle Me Pete, Shaking Crab,
Snow Show Flushing, Spoonable
Spirits, T-Swirl Crepes, The Wasted
Baker, ToastieLand, What’s The Dillaz,
Wings Lovers, and Zonarica
Churros will be cooking up during
the festival.
Meanwhile, some of those cultural
points that the World’s Fare President
Joshua Schneps referenced will done
by the way of nightly music from local
and international acts from different
genres including dance, Latin,
pop and hip-hop along with festive
artwork.
Hello Panda is open seven days a
week from 5 to 10 p.m., Dec. 6 to Jan.
26, 2020. CPAA also plans to produce
the even in Vernon, New Jersey, from
Oct. 18 to Feb. 2, 2020, and at the
World Vacation Hotel from Oct. 25 to
March 22, 2020, according to the organizers.
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.
One of the displays at the inaugural Hello Panda Festival, on view from Friday, December 6,
through Sunday, January 26, at Citi Field. Ticket prices range from 22 to 28 minus tax and
service fees. Photo courtesy of AMNY
/www.hellopandaf-est.com
/www.hellopandaf-est.com
/www.hellopandaf-est.com
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