I don’t know about you, but I love experiencing different cultural events in my hometown. It’s quite easy to get stuck in your normal daily routine, and so it’s a relief to do something a bit different sometimes!
My favourite is the Auckland Lantern Festival, which is on every year during the Chinese New Year period. It’s a free event so it gets pretty busy – in the past it was crammed into an inner-city park, but over time the festival outgrew this venue, and so the Auckland Domain has become the Lantern Festival’s new home from this year – and what a fantastic venue it is. It’s so wonderful to use our lovely urban parks for free events like this!
The Auckland Lantern Festival
The lantern displays, often depicting traditional scenes like planting rice or playing instruments (and some not so traditional, such as the under-the-sea or Antarctic penguins displays!), are positioned underneath the large trees of the Domain with plenty of room to move. There would have been thousands of people there on the night that we visited, but it didn’t feel all that busy!
The soft glow of the lanterns, combined with the dark limbs of the trees above and the crunchy leaves underfoot, as well as the smell of street food, makes it feel a little otherworldly. It definitely didn’t feel like we were minutes from central Auckland!
Speaking of food, one of the best parts of the Auckland Lantern Festival is the vast range of Asian street food on offer – and it’s so cheap! We tried steamed BBQ pork buns, chicken satay skewers, steamed dumplings, BBQ chilli squid tentacles and mango lassi. I wish I could have eaten more, it all looked amazing.
There were so many wonderful displays that it’s hard to pick a favourite. Although if I had to, I think the huge dragon lantern in a pool is hard to beat – the reflection of the lantern in the water was so pretty.
The Auckland Lantern Festival is on in mid-late February each year, coinciding with Chinese New Year. It’s well worth visiting if you’re in town during that time and feel like being transported into Asia!
Are there any cultural events in your hometown that you visit? What’s your favourite one? Tell us in the comments!
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Lotte
Wow, so cool! The food looks delicious and the lanterns make it look like a fairytale, an Asian fairytale that is;-)
PS Glad to hear Shaun is ok!
Petra
AuthorIt was a great event! Yes me too 🙂 it’s pretty catastrophic in Fiji at the moment!
Ellen
the lantern festival is awesome, you got some great photos!
♥ Ellen #NZblogger
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Petra
AuthorThanks Ellen! It’s such a fun event 🙂
Leah- Rosemary and Twine
wow Petra these photos are incredible! I’m getting some serious FOMO looking at them, I would have loved to have gone to the festival this year, but I was out of town. I love Chinese new year and really miss my Chinese, Singaporean and Malaysian friends I used to hang out with before moving to AKL. We used to make dumplings and have a big party and a fashion show for CNY. I’ll definitely have to try and go next year!
Thanks so much for sharing these pictures!
Petra
AuthorThanks Leah! The lantern festival is a great event. Yum, home made dumplings sound awesome!
Ciana
Whoa, sounds like Auckland has more activities now! Makes me miss the place even more, man… =/
I love how they managed to shape the lantern after the selected animals – like the dragon, swan and bear. Okay, it’s official: I’m definitely craving for a few sticks of satay now, lol. XD
Petra
AuthorHaha, you make me laugh! The satay was damn good 🙂 It’s such a fun event!
Shannon
WOW! That looks soo beautiful!! The food looks just as amazing, if not better! Can’t wait to see New Zealand one day! xx
Petra
AuthorIt’s a pretty awesome event, Shannon! Hope you make it here some day too 🙂