8 DECEMBER 12, 2019 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Hello Panda Festival kicks off at Citi Field
BY JENNA BAGCAL
JBAGCAL@QNS.COM
@JENNA_BAGCAL
The Hello Panda Festival kicked
off a season of lanterns, food and
holiday festivities last Friday.
Deemed “the largest lantern arts
event in North America,” the Citi
Field festival boasts more than 120
giant illuminated displays handcrafted
by 60 renowned artisans.
The jaw-dropping displays include
a 60-foot-tall Christmas tree — the
tallest in North America — a 98-
foot panda-themed light tunnel,
motorized dinosaurs and serene
underwater-themed scenes.
Festival organizers, CPAA North
America, have iterations of the popular
festival in Vernon, N.J., and the
Catskills. Since the company’s inception
in 2013, they have co-produced
events in Lincoln Center and the
Kennedy Center including stage productions
of “Mulan,” “Dragon Boat
Racing” and “Wedding of Erdos.”
“The growing popularity of lantern
festivals is due to the role of
social media in today’s world,” said
Winston Wang, general manager
of CPAA North America. “Our Hello
Panda Festival has been designed
to stir the senses and inspire
imaginations.”
In addition the world-class
lanterns, Hello Panda will also
feature international cuisine and a
full-service bar with cocktails curated
by The World’s Fare vendors,
contemporary art exhibits, nightly
live performances and photo-ops
with Santa on select days. Click here
to get more details on everything to
see and do at Hello Panda.
Bundle up and head out to Hello
Panda, which runs from 5 to 10 p.m.
every day until Jan. 26, 2020. Tickets
are $22 to $28 minus tax and
service fees. To learn more, visit
www.hellopandafest.com or follow
@hellopandafest on Instagram and
Twitter and Facebook.
Photos by Ed Shin
/WWW.QNS.COM
/www.hellopandafest.com
link
/www.hellopandafest.com
link
