LANTERN FESTIVAL GRAND OPENING WEEKEND FEATURES ENTERTAINMENT ALL DAY, ILLUMINATED LANTERNS AT NIGH WHAT: Lantern Festival Grand Opening Weekend
WHEN: Saturday, May 26 through Monday, May 28 (Memorial Day) from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Exhibition continues Thursday-Sunday evenings, May 31-July 29 ......
BigNews.Biz - Apr 13,2012 - LANTERN FESTIVAL GRAND OPENING WEEKEND FEATURES
ENTERTAINMENT ALL DAY, ILLUMINATED LANTERNS AT NIGHT
Be Among the First to See “Lantern Festival: Art by Day, Magic by Night,” May 26-28
WHAT: Lantern Festival Grand Opening Weekend
WHEN: Saturday, May 26 through Monday, May 28 (Memorial Day) from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Exhibition continues Thursday-Sunday evenings, May 31-July 29 and nightly Aug. 1-19 from 6 to 10 p.m. (last entry at 9 p.m. all nights)
WHERE: Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd., south St. Louis, Mo.
COST: $22 adults, $10 children (ages 3 to 12). Discounts for Garden members.
SPONSORS: Lantern Festival presented by Emerson. Opening Weekend presented by Wells Fargo Advisors.
INFO: www.mobot.org/lanternfestival; (314) 577-5100; 1‑800‑642‑8842 toll free
(ST. LOUIS): Be among the first visitors to witness “Lantern Festival: Art by Day, Magic by Night” when the highly-anticipated exhibition opens at the Missouri Botanical Garden Memorial Day weekend. The Lantern Festival Grand Opening Weekend features Chinese acrobatics, celebratory parades, traditional dragon dances, t’ai ji demonstrations and more throughout the day, leading up to a grand finale: The nighttime illumination of the 26 larger-than-life lantern sets. The Lantern Festival Grand Opening Weekend is Saturday, May 26 through Monday, May 28 from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. all three days (last entry at 9 p.m.). Admission is $22 for adults and $10 for children ages 3 to 12. “Lantern Festival: Art by Day, Magic by Night” is presented by Emerson. The Grand Opening Weekend is presented by Wells Fargo Advisors. Learn more at www.mobot.org/lanternfestival.
An opening extravaganza and parade featuring a 70-foot-long, 12-man Chinese dragon dance kicks off the weekend’s festivities on Saturday at 10:45 a.m. The colorful creature is accompanied by a 40-member drum dance and a welcoming dance by multi-ethnic Chinese groups. Follow the dragon as it leads a procession at 11 a.m. through the Garden to the Cohen Amphitheater, where dignitaries from the St. Louis region, local Chinese community and Missouri Botanical Garden welcome visitors and officially open the celebration.
Catch the dragon dance again Sunday and Monday at 11 a.m. and each day at 2 p.m. near the reflecting pools in front of the Climatron® dome. Dragons are the most auspicious beings in Chinese folklore, and 2012 is the lucky Year of the Dragon in the Chinese Zodiac. The 24-legged dragon dance is said to dispel bad luck and ward off evil; it is a traditional element of Chinese New Year celebrations and festival openings.
The Lantern Festival Grand Opening Weekend is the public’s first opportunity to see the 26 elaborate lantern sets on display throughout the Garden grounds. The multi-piece sets are constructed from scratch by a team of skilled artisans from Zigong in the western province of Sichuan, the center of the lantern-making industry in China. The intricate pieces are formed by specially-treated silks secured to an inner steel armature. Each lantern is full of symbolism and meaning, celebrating aspects of Chinese culture and legend. View the unlit works of art by day, and then relish
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