22 THE QUEENS COURIER • DECEMBER 5, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Hello Panda Festival waves to Citi Field this weekend
BY ALEX MITCHELL
alex.mitchell@amny.com
One of the brightest festivals in the
city will keep you warm at Citi Field this
winter.
Th e 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 handcraft ed 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 Th e World’s Fare.
Th e displays feature more than 300,000
brightly-colored LED lights and several
interactive elements. Visitors can explore
six diff erent lantern theme parks, each of
which deliver distinct, immersive experiences.
Th e 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.
Th e 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 craft s across six
giant heated tent areas.
Th is 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 Th e
Hello Panda Festival, which is #1 winter
destination in Queens and throughout
New York City,” said Elizabeth Aloni,
President of Th e World’s Fare. Th e 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 Th e Hard Way Jianbing
Company, and Joey Bats Café.
Also, Knot Of Th is 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, Th e
Wasted Baker, ToastieLand, What’s Th e
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 diff erent 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 Instag
ram and Twitter and Facebook.
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