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New York City takes its light shows seriously. With big bangers like the Bronx Zoo’s Holiday Lights and Lightscape at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the bar is high. So when a new light show enters the chat, it’s gotta wow.
The Tianyu Lights Festival is one such event—it opened for the first time on November 29 at Citi Field and it’s got the glowy magic we all want in a light show.
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It differentiates by merging traditional Chinese lantern-making with modern technology (using steel, LED lights, and other colorful fabrics) to create sculptures is the storyline that inspires the entire festival.
All the sculptures tell a story called “Koda’s Adventure.” Seven-year-old boy, Koda, has just returned from journeying to the Amazon rainforest. The plants and animals that you see are sprinkled with magical elements and are from Koda’s own memories and imagination. As you wander through the light show you can piece together Koda’s dream fragments and uncover clues and win prizes. Of course, this means lots of photo ops for your Insta stories.
Even cooler, there are live performances of traditional Chinese plucked string instruments the guzheng and pipa, the peakcock dance and artwork using traditional Chinese styles.
There’s also a “Magical Forest Marketplace” with a chance to shop merch, including panda-themed items and light-up paintings, and even traditional goods. And if you’re hungry, you can stop by the Forest Food Court for a selection of food and beverage options.
The best part might be that it is easy to get to—just take the 7 train from Grand Central to Citi Field and it’s right there.
The Tianyu Lights Festival is open every day from 5 to 10pm (the last entry is 9pm), except for December 9, December 16, December 20, January 6 and January 13. You can snag tickets at tianyuculture.us/nyc, which start at $22.