Colorful lantern festival brings Chinese celebration to Ohio

From the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to Clifton Mill, central Ohio is teeming with dazzling holiday light shows.

But how many can boast a 21-foot-tall, 200-foot-long illuminated dragon?

Those who have toured the seasonal attractions and are looking for a new flair might consider the Ohio Chinese Lantern Festival.

In its second year, the festival showcases 33 life-size displays and thousands of LED lights at the Ohio Expo Center’s Natural Resources Park.

After opening in midNovember, this weekend provides the last chance to catch the spectacular illuminations, including that massive dragon.

“I heard many people say ‘Wow,’” said Grace Zhou, the on-site manager from Tianyu Arts and Culture, which puts on the shows worldwide. “All the lights, they are shining, they are eye-catching.”

$15, or $10 for ages 3 to 17, $12 for senior citizens and for those with military ID, $12 for college students (Thursday only), free for age 2 and younger; $25 for a VIP package

$6, cash only

The lighting of lanterns is a centuries-old tradition to mark the 15th and final day of the Chinese New Year.

Tianyu, which was founded in 1997, brought the magic of the festivities overseas about 10 years ago, said Huiyuan Liu, the company’s events manager

The lanterns are newer to the United States, where Tianyu has been producing events for about three years in cities including Milwaukee; New Orleans; Philadelphia; and Spokane, Washington.

Tianyu’s goal is to produce an annual lantern festival in a major city of every state, which is why the show came to Columbus, Liu said.

More than 80,000 people from throughout Ohio came to the show’s sevenweek run last year, likely drawn by the novelty of the experience.

“The lantern display is something really new to people in Columbus or Ohio in general,” Liu said. “It’s a very affordable cultural experience.”

Though the cold weather has caused attendance to taper off slightly— about 50,000 guests had visited as of last week— organizers hope to finish the year strong.

With the forecast calling for chilly temperatures this weekend, folks might be reluctant to leave the comfort of their homes. But organizers moved the performance stage and vendors inside the Donahey Ag/Hort building to give visitors a place to warm up.

The lanterns are made in Zigong, China, the city in which the festival is said to have originated, before they are broken down and shipped to the U.S., where six weeks' worth of work is needed to reassemble them for the show.

Except for the dragon, all of this year's lanterns are new, from color-changing dinosaurs to a 30-foot-tall Chinese palace. Additionally, a fresh slate of performers will entertain guests with Chinese dancing, contortion acts and face-changing, or the art of changing masks quickly.

A gallery inside the Donahey building will provide a history of the Chinese lantern and the performance traditions that are on display.

Organizers also added a VIP ticket option this year, which includes an audio guide, a souvenir, special seating at the shows and a guided tour.

“There’s so much going on here,” Liu said.