Light up the night
Luminaria line the way for festivalgoers at Wildwood fundraiser
The first night of the three-evening Lanterns! festival, a fundraiser for Wildwood Park for the Arts in west Little Rock, was Feb. 19. But the event must have seemed like a one-night-only Taylor Swift concert to passers-by observing the endless row of parked cars and long line of families waiting for the gates to open.
Once those gates provided access to the unseasonably warm “deep-winter” event — designed to celebrate the first full moon of the lunar new year — festivalgoers had the chance to visit such far-flung locales as Australia, Hawaii, Greece, Brazil, the United Kingdom and China. These countries were represented by food and exhibit booths located throughout the park’s gardens, arboretum and theater. Luminaria-lined trails provided a visual backdrop to such magical nighttime sights as floating lotus candles traversing Wildwood’s Swan Lake, lighted flamingos along the shore, an artificial full moon and a fake volcano. Stilt walkers, fire performers, even a steel band from Episcopal Collegiate School entertained guests. And there were the eats, with Hawaiian macadamia nut cookies, Brazilian black bean soup, Chinese fried rice and spring rolls, and Australian turkey legs among the edible hits.
Although there were no early proceeds figures, the festival attracted an estimated 8,000 attendees, according to Wildwood executive director Leslie Golden. “This was a banner year and broke the … record set in 2014,” says Golden, who recalled the 2015 festival’s ice on opening night and rain on closing night.
Wildwood “enriches the lives of Arkansans of all ages by creating community through nature and the arts.”