For the 7th consecutive year the Chinese Lantern Festival is taking place in Cary, North Carolina. The Chinese Lantern Festival in North Carolina has been dubbed a “must see.” Koka Booth Amphitheater is decked out in 40 brand new lantern displays, several interactive displays, performances, and many food vendors.
Chinese Lanterns go back thousands of years and represent good fortune and prosperity. The Chinese Lantern Festival in North Carolina sees over 100,000 people as they are mesmerized by the beautiful displays and colorful lights.
What is the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival?
A celebration of Chinese culture, the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival features handmade lanterns from China’s lantern capital—the city of Zigong, in Sichuan Province. This festival highlights Chinese culture and allows the people of North Carolina to celebrate the diversity found in this state.
The 40 displays are made to delight and dazzle all who walk through the amphitheater. Additionally, all visitors can experience the hourly performances and enjoy food from local restaurants.
When is the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival?
The festival runs from November 18, 2022 through January 8, 2023.
For regular tickets the doors open at 6pm and close at 9pm. The festival closes at 10pm. The Early bird tickets allow you to enter as early as 4pm.
Plan an hour for the half mile walk through all the lanterns. This will allow you time to interact with certain displays as well as stop for selfies.
The performances are at 6:30, 7:30, and 8:30pm. There are seats and heated lamps to huddle under while you watch the acrobats display of talent.
Where is the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival?
The Chinese Lantern Festival is located in Cary, North Carolina in the Koka Booth Amphitheater.
Address: 8005 Regency Pkwy, Cary, NC 27518
Important things to know before you go
Parking
The Koka Booth Amphitheater does have its own parking. This parking is free and on a first come, first serve basis. Additionally, they offer a $10 preferred parking pass. This ticket has limited availability.
We did not buy the pass and had no trouble finding parking. We arrived at about 7pm and left by 8:30pm.
Bag policy
In order to comply with upgraded safety policies the venue only allows for specific sized bags. Please see below what is allowed:
Clear Bags no larger than 12″ x 12″ x 9″
Medical, Parenting, & Camera Bags
Small Clutch purses no larger than 4.5″ x 6.5″
All bags will be subject to search. I’d recommend leaving your purse at home if you can help it. Additionally you cannot bring in any food. The whole venue is cashless and they do sell refreshments and food. Sealed water bottles are allowed, however; they cannot be glass and are limited to 2 per person.
Accessibility
Koka Booth Amphitheater strives to provide accessibility services to anyone who may need it. They ask that this form be filled out so they can appropriately prepare all services ahead of time.
All of the walking to see the lanterns is paved and most stairs can be avoided. Additionally there are ample parking spot for those who require accessible parking.
Getting tickets
There are a couple of different types of tickets you can get for the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival.
- Twilight Tickets:
Allow entrance at 4:30pm for a golden hour experience. These tickets start at $15 depending on the day.
- Any Night tickets:
These tickets allow you to go any night with some exceptions. They start at $35 each and give you flexibility to not pre-plan your visit. These tickets are valid on sold out nights, but are not valid for twilight entrance or VIP tours.
- Specific Night tickets:
These tickets start at $20. This ticket allows you in at 6pm on the day you selected.
- VIP- Very Important Panda Tour Tickets:
For a behind the scenes VIP tour you’ll want these tickets. They start at $20 depending on the night. This ticket also allows you to enter at 4:30pm.
Additionally Children under 2 years old get in free. All other persons are required a ticket to enter. You can pre-purchase tickets online for cheaper and a faster experience entering the festival. You can also purchase in person when you arrive.
It is important to note that this event takes place rain or shine. So if you have a ticket for a specific day, bring an umbrella because they do not allow you to change dates of your ticket. One notable exception was the particularly cold Christmas this year. The organizers of the Chinese Lantern Festival did allow people with date specific tickets to change which day they would go as the cold was not safe for anyone.
Online ticket purchases will help you skip the lines that form on busy nights. The box office is open 3pm-9pm Tuesday to Fridays and 6pm-9pm on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
Seating for Performances
Around the stage for the performances there are seats available. The seats are on a first come first serve basis. There is ample seating, but not enough for every single person in the venue at that time. Bringing your own mats or chairs is not allowed so I’d recommend bundling up under one of the many heat lamps and watching from there.
Food & Drinks
Outside food and drinks are not allowed in the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival. However, there are many local vendors that will be selling food. All the vendors are cashless.
There was even hot chocolate being sold which was perfect for sipping on such a cold day. On select nights there are even food trucks open to sell food!
North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival: Our experience
When you walk into Koka Booth Amphitheater you immediately get immersed into some fish lanterns. I was completely shocked to see these massive lantern displays. Some of the displays move and others are interactive. The first one we came to was two birds that talk to you. If you stand on a lit up star and talk to the parrots they respond. It was just an incredible display to initially find.
As we meandered our way through the different exhibits, we found the playground area. While I enjoyed the displays immensely, the playground was the most fun. There were “Instagram” lanterns you could pose with, light up swings (that reminded me of Boston), and a smoke cannon. My favorite interactive portion was the smoke bubbles – bubbles filled with smoke. There was even a biking station that allows you to light up an arch around you.
They even have extra special shows and lanterns, including some lanterns that are in the ponds AND some that spit water. The fog garden was my favorite because there was a tulip path; I love tulips.
North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival Final Thoughts
The Chinese Lantern Festival in North Carolina has food vendors and shows. There are also some stands that sell souvenirs and local fares. You can make your visit as long or as short as you want it to be. With the cold front we had, we went when the weather warmed up a bit; it was perfect because it was fairly empty. I will say this festival can be a very Instagramable event so expect to see lots of people taking pictures.
Going to see Christmas light displays is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. I’ll definitely have to keep the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival in mind for upcoming years!
Let me know if you are interested in going in 2023!
