Vegas: China Lights Las Vegas 2018 part three

 This post marks the third in the China Lights Las Vegas festival series from 2018 that I'll be sharing. The previous two day's posts had the rest of the photos, but I split it into thirds to make it less overwhelming. There were so many beautiful lanterns and designs to take in and explore throughout the park grounds that I ended up with over 300 photos from the evening's stroll. Not all of them will be posted, but I do hope that you enjoy these photos that made the cut. Overall we really enjoyed our time at the event, despite the live performances being cancelled due to inclement weather, there was still plenty for us to see. It was rather cold and the longer we walked around the more we could feel the chill seeping into us, so towards the end we found ourselves perhaps lingering a little less on the displays, which also meant that the photos I captured would be all the more important towards preserving the memories. We would definitely recommend checking it out next year we the event returns for the 2019 Chinese New Year!

The seasonal event is put on by the Tianyu Arts & Culture Inc and carries on a tradition that has been established in Chinese culture for roughly 2,000 years. That's right, two THOUSAND years! For as long as we've been counting forwards on the common calendar (as opposed to BCE) the new year has been celebrated with the illuminations of many brightly coloured lanterns brightening the dark sky.  Absolutely stunning designs proliferated throughout the park and we had a great evening. We made it to one of their last nights open, but if you go on opening night it's the official New Year's celebration and they pull out all the stops! Totally worth going if you happen to be in the area at the right time of year... though, to be fair, any area with a large enough Chinese population is likely going to have it's own celebrations, so keep an eye out in your area for something similar! We definitely recommend checking it out. 

More photos below!

Vegas: China Lights Las Vegas 2018 part two

All the photos in this post are going to be from the China Lights Lantern Festival here in Vegas during it's 2018 run. We had a lot of fun when we visited the event, even though the live performances were cancelled due to the winds and frigid temperatures. We didn't mind so much, as there were so many beautiful lanterns and displays to enjoy that we didn't feel like we were missing much of anything! The technicolor frog above was especially fun to watch as the colours shifted, making it quite a hypnotic amphibian reminiscent of the Hypno-toad from Futurama... I can't even type the name of that show without the theme-song trumpeting it's way into my brain, haha! I don't mind that so much since it's one of my favourite shows, though I have to admit that I sorely need to get caught up... with all the cancellations and revivals, and years spent abroad without access (or the time/dedication needed to procure/find access) to television shows I really fell behind on a lot of things... coming back to the US in 2014, and again at the end of 2016, has always been interesting. So much music and pop culture that I hadn't followed...there have been ample times that Antho would put on a song and I had never heard or known of it previously, only to learn it was popular between 2011-2014.  I digress... my lack of awareness on pop-culture isn't all that interesting, is it? Let's talk about the lanterns!

OBEYOBEYOBEYOBEYOBEY...

Along with Hypno-frog, there's roughly 20 different lantern stations vastly differing in their sizes, colours and designs, from beautiful and serene floral scenes to adorable collections of frolicking Pandas, to goofy paranoid-looking dragons there's plenty to see and admire for the whole family. The event itself is billed as being family-friendly, and this seemed quite true from what we saw. The lanterns are a beautiful sight against the dark cold night and as much as we enjoyed them as our grown-ass adult selves I can only imagine a young child's imagination set ablaze with the sights. Tickets are also more affordable for children, making it even easier to justify dragging the little ones out on a cold evening! 

I've split the photos from this event into three separate posts, this being the middle one. Yesterday had the first batch and tomorrow will wrap this series. If you're liking these photos keep scrolling to see more and check back tomorrow for the final conclusion!

Vegas: China Lights Las Vegas 2018 part one

A much belated Happy Chinese New Year! 

I know this is nearly a month late now, believe it or not.. How the time flies! Hard to believe we're already sliding into Mid-March...Feels like just yesterday that we were saying our vows at the Viva Las Vegas wedding chapel but that was nearly a month ago now! Sheesh. Antho has already watched the entirety of the Office twice since then, and it's only a matter of time until he's finished it again. It's such pleasant background noise, though, and it's fun finding new dimension to the characters with the repeated viewings illuminating little details and interactions we'd missed previously... but anyway, enough lamenting the passage of time, let's focus on the pretties! This post will be focusing on the China Lights festival and there are going to be LOTS of photos, so I've split the photos into three separate posts with the next two coming out on the 14th and the 15th, so if you like these make sure to check back for the rest! 

And pretty it most definitely was!

Have you ever been to a Chinese Lantern Festival? I 'm a bit embarrassed to admit I haven't been to many, despite having lived in Asia for three years... I visited one when I was in Seoul in 2016 and I'll have a post about that experience up in the next couple of months, but this is the second one that I can recall ever going to. I mean, there would be lanterns abounding at festivals in Urayasu or at any temple I visited while in Japan, but they were a very different sort of variety. 

It was a cold night in late February when we went, and unfortunately by now the event has long since closed up and moved on. It ran from January 19th to February 25th and we caught it very near to the end of it's stay. Because it was so cold and windy on the night we visited, the evening performances were cancelled and we were left to simply meander about the lights listening to the ambient music as we wished. It was a wonderful experience and despite the cold we enjoyed ourselves. There were several vendors providing hot foods, from grilled chicken to yakisoba and donuts, and we were extremely grateful for them! We got some pork yakisoba and the freshly fried donuts, with the vendor using a fun contraption to drop the little balls into the hot grease as you watched. This meant SUPER fresh, steaming hot donuts coated in sugar, perfect for the cold weather! Anttho also kindly got me a cup of coffee, which didn't take me long to drink but helped warm me as the temperatures grew colder as the night crept deeper.

I would wholeheartedly and happily recommend anyone curious about the event simply bite the bullet and go! I was a bit trepidatious about the $20 per person fee, but we really had a nice time walking through the park taking in the displays. Excellent date night idea, just make sure to bundle up to stay warm!

More photos below!