News

Lights, Culture and Magic!

Sam Song, Acting Riverfront Park Director, No Phone Number Available

Thursday, August 6, 2015 at 12:26 p.m.

Updated: 10/20/2015

Immerse yourself in a 5-week celebration of Chinese culture!

For the first time ever, Spokane's Riverfront Park will be home to a spectacular event directly from China, the “Washington State Chinese Lantern Festival”. The event opens on September 26^th, 2015 and runs until November 15^th, 2015.

In addition to stunning displays of colorful lanterns, this event will feature incredible food, nightly cultural performances, souvenirs, and children's activities. Highlights include a 196-foot dragon and a three-story pagoda. Additionally, there will be multiple, daily performances by Chinese artists from Tianyu Culture, the Sichuan, China-based company presenting the Festival.

We believe this is the next big event, like Hoopfest or Bloomsday, to come to our area. Once people experience the huge displays, the cultural performances and the delicious food, we think this will become a “can't miss” annual event.

The Washington State Chinese Lantern Festival has something for everyone:

Performances will include: the Sichuan opera, Kung Fu Tea, Acrobatics, Hulusi Music and Tai Chi, and Chinese Dance. (subject to change based on visa approval)
Cultural exhibits will include: life-size Terracotta soldiers, and the bronze masks of the San Xingdui Civilization.
Children's activities will include: painting and calligraphy, tie-dye workshops, and paper cutting.
Spokane's well-known-chef, Jeremy Hansen, owner of Sante, will host a 5 week culinary tour of China:
- Week 1, October 1-3, Yue Cuisine from the Guandong Region
- Week 2, October 8-10, Lu Cuisine from the Shandong Region
- Week 3, October 15-17, Jing Cuisine from the Beijing Region
- Week 4, October 22-24, Chuan Cuisine from the Sichuan Region
- Week 5, October 29-31, Hu Cuisine from the Shanghai Region

The Lantern Festival will be open to the public on Sunday through Thursday, 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.; and on Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. – 11 p.m. Performances will be every night at 6:30 p.m. & 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7 p.m. & 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

For more information on The Chinese Lantern Festival, please see our Chinese Lantern Festival General Information brochure or visit http://www.spokanelanternfestival.com/ where you can see a spectacular video preview of the event.

The Cuisine Experience will run from Thursday through Saturday, 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. For more detailed information on the cuisine and pricing, please visit http://www.spokanelanternfestival.com/cuisine

Tickets can be purchased now through TicketsWest and the Lantern Festival website. Starting September 26th, tickets can also be purchased at the INB Performing Arts Center or the Lantern Festival ticket booth that will be set up in Riverfront Park.