Photos by Lydia Freudenberg, 2017
This weekend is the last weekend to visit the magical Dragon Lights Columbus at the Ohio Expo Center. Dragon Lights Columbus is Tuesday through Sunday from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., and features new lanterns and entertainment for the 2018 season.
Originally called the Ohio Chinese Lantern Festival, Dragon Lights has toured all over the world to bring Chinese culture literally to light. Dragon Lights Columbus honors Chinese traditions by featuring beautiful illuminated displays crafted by Chinese artists, performances, handicrafts and a variety of food.
Even though the beautiful lanterns and light displays are the highlights of this outdoor experience, don’t forget to experience the other activities that spotlight Chinese culture. There are traditional handicraft demonstrations like name painting, crystal engraving and aluminum weaving. And nightly stage performances feature face changing, contortionists, Chinese Yo-Yo and many others routines
Some New Aspects
Get excited because the festival now includes a Panda Theater, a theater surrounded by panda light displays that features real-time footage of pandas from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. The theater also shows Chinese movies with English subtitles on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Also new is the Time Travel Photo Booth which allows patrons to try on clothing for different dynasties.
Additional Information
Stage performances are Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday at 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday performances are at 6:30 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Performances are included in the price of the ticket. This is the last weekend of the festival, so don’t wait another year to see the beauty of this exhibition.
Discounted tickets can be purchased online at dragonlightscolumbus.com, while regularly priced tickets can be purchased at the entrance. Tickets are date specific and priced as follows:
- Children - $12
- Adult - $17
- Military and senior - $14.
To learn more about the festival, visit dragonlightscolumbus.com.
