PHOTOS: Spectacular Chinese festival opens in Budapest Zoo: don’t miss it!

The Year of the Dragon Lantern Festival (Sárkány Éve Lampion Fesztivál) opened its doors and is waiting for curious visitors until 24 February in the Biodome area of the Budapest Zoo. Hundreds of Chinese lantern artworks are on display for the public to admire. The magical world of light and spectacular compositions awaits visitors from 5 PM to 9 PM every evening until the end of February.

Year of the Dragon Lantern Festival in Budapest

Source: MTI/Hegedüs Róbert

From 16 December to 24 February, the Budapest Zoo is offering a special evening attraction for the public. During this period, with the exception of 24 December, Christmas Eve, you can admire the eye-catching lanterns of the Year of the Dragon Lantern Festival every evening between 5 and 9 PM.

The festival is not held in the Zoo’s well-known area, but in the Biodome area (we wrote about the controversial existence of the Biodome HERE). The place can be accessed through the gate at 16 Zoo Boulevard (Állatkerti körút 16), Lelépő informs.

The occasion for this year’s festival is the upcoming Year of the Dragon, which starts with the Lunar New Year on 10 February.

Spectacular lanterns

Source: MTI/Hegedüs Róbert

Hundreds of spectacular, eye-catching artistic lanterns of the Year of the Dragon Lantern Festival have been assembled into huge images, often five to eight metres tall. Among them are two giant lampion dragons. You can also admire several other lanterns representing the motifs and forms of Chinese culture. Among them are those depicting the soldier figures of the terracotta army of the first Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang, who reigned in the 3rd century BC and whose terracotta army was discovered in 1974.

As the venue for the lantern festival is the Biodome area of the zoo, it is not surprising that the lanterns include a large number of animal and plant figures. The public can see giant pandas, elephants, polar bears, a family of tigers, squirrels and flamingos, among others.

Breathtaking festival recommended for everybody

Source: MTI/Hegedüs Róbert

Open for seventy nights, the Year of the Dragon Lantern Festival is recommended not only for those with a special interest in Chinese culture, but also for anyone who would like to spend a pleasant evening admiring the extraordinary light show. Families with young children are welcome, as are couples, members of the Chinese community living in Hungary, or foreign tourists visiting Budapest.

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