Even since it first appeared at the Missouri Botanical Garden in 2012, the Lantern Festival has been the talk of the town—so, naturally, it’s coming back. From this weekend to August 23, nearly two dozen glowing structures made of silk and steel will take over the garden.
For weeks, artisans from China have been building the ethereal forms, with nosy neighbors eyeballing the works in progress. The Garden works with a Chinese company that specializes in building the traditional lanterns.
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“These are rarely staged outside of Asia,” says garden spokesperson Katie O’Sullivan. “The one we did in 2012 was the first in North America.” After that initial festival drew 325,000 visitors, other U.S. cities hosted similar festivals. This year’s reprise promises to draw both repeat visitors and newcomers.
The first festival here was a celebration of a collaborative research project that the Garden worked on in China, culminating in the project “The Flora of China,” a long-term work cataloging more than 31,000 species of plants. “The garden has a long history of research and collaboration with China,” O’Sullivan says. “Just because that project came to a conclusion doesn’t mean our research did.” The work continues, she says, and interest remains.
Lantern festivals typically mark the new year in China. The intricate designs communicate folklore and stories. At the Missouri Botanical Garden, explanatory plaques will explain the stories behind fantastical creations like “Soaring Dragon Horse,” located near the Climatron.
All of the structures at this year’s Lantern Festival will be new. Most are made of silk and steel, with some notable exceptions. A pagoda design features 300,000 pieces of porcelain. One lantern is made of tiny, clear medicine bottles filled with colored liquid; another is made of recycled bottles—even as the pieces themselves aren’t durable.
“That’s one thing people may not realize,” says O’Sullivan. “They’re built to withstand the run of the show. When they finish on August 23rd, it’s finished.”
To keep the magic alive, however, the garden will sell a few of the pieces after the show. In fact, some pieces from 2012 are still brightening up yards and pools around the city.
Tickets are dated and only valid for specific dates, so plan your visit carefully. The lanterns are lit from 6 to 10 p.m. The lanterns won’t be lit during the Fourth of July or on evenings of the Whitaker Music Festival—though the structures are impressive even without being lit.
Click here for more details or to buy tickets.
