Koka Booth Gets Lit

N.C. Chinese Lantern Festival 2018, photo by Mariel Swiggard

The annual N.C. Chinese Lantern Festival is back this year at Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre! The Lantern Festival is a tradition that shares Chinese culture with visitors from the Raleigh area and includes intricate light displays, performances and food. Past years have transported guests into what feels like a beautiful new world of lights, sounds and smells. The most popular and amazing light display is the colorful Chinese dragon that sits on Symphony Lake and contributes a large portion of the thousands of LED lights that make up the festival. While viewing the light displays, visitors can enjoy snacks from Crescent Cafe, food trucks and concession stands. Crescent Cafe will be offering warm winter drinks like coffee and spiked hot chocolate and Chinese dishes like crispy spring rolls and sweet-and-sour chicken bites. In addition to the light displays, visitors can enjoy cultural performances on the amphitheatre stage. Past shows have included dancing, acrobatics and martial arts. Spending enough time at the festival to enjoy the performances is a great way to get the full experience.

The event will be held from Nov. 22, 2019 to Jan. 12, 2020 on Tuesdays through Sundays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. (the only Mondays it is open are Dec. 23 and 30). Tickets can be purchased online at boothamphitheatre.com or at the box office, and visitors have a choice of “any-night” tickets, which they can use to attend any single night of their choice, or “date-specific” tickets. Tickets for children 2 years old and under are free, and all other tickets cost $20. Patrons are advised to allow themselves at least an hour to see all the displays.

Attending the N.C. Chinese Lantern Festival with friends and family during the holiday season is a great way to experience and appreciate Chinese culture in the local area.

By Katelyn Wiszowaty, Staff Writer