New York City will shine even brighter this winter with the debut of the Hello Panda Festival (December 6, 2019, to January 26, 2020), the largest international lantern, food and arts extravaganza celebrating culture and diversity. Held at Citi Field and spanning 700,000 square feet, the multisensory event will showcase over 120 Instagrammable lantern exhibits, 60 international food vendors curated by The World’s Fare and numerous cultural arts experiences including live performances, modern art exhibits, a holiday market, and traditional crafts. Produced by CPAA North America, this year’s festival will be the first of an ongoing annual holiday tradition at Citi Field, chosen for its location in the heart of Queens and its status as an iconic New York City landmark.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Thursday, September 12. Ticket prices are $22 – $28 (tax and service fees not included). For more information, visit hellopandafest.com or follow @hellopandafest on Instagram and Twitter and Facebook.
Below are details of Hello Panda’s main attractions:
- The Lanterns
Utilizing over 10 million lights and featuring various interactive elements, Hello Panda’s 120 massive lantern exhibits — each handcrafted and hand-painted by some of the world’s leading lantern artisans — seamlessly blend tradition, innovation, and creativity. The lantern festival will be comprised of six different theme parks (Dream World, Holiday Wonderland, Discovery Zone, Interactive Music Zone, Sports World, and Community Interactive Zone), each individually designed to deliver a distinct and immersive experience. Over 100 never-before-seen exhibits will be making their world premiere at the festival. Highlights will include the world’s tallest Christmas tree lantern, life-sized dinosaurs and safari animals, an enormous fairy tale castle and a 98-foot-long light tunnel.
- The Food
Food will be a prominent feature at Hello Panda through its partnership with The World’s Fare, organizers of the largest and most diverse food and drink event in New York City. Their tastemakers will curate the festival’s tented and heated food pavilion, which will be comprised of 60 vendors representing different cuisines and cultures, offering a diverse selection of global culinary treats.
- The Arts
Hello Panda will feature a broad range of cultural arts — both traditional and modern — through a regular series of live performances, galleries and a holiday market across six giant heated tent areas, making it the warmest outdoor event during the coldest season. Nightly music showcases will highlight local and international acts from different genres, including dance, Latin, pop, and hip-hop while a collection of galleries will feature the breathtaking works of emerging artists from around the world. Additionally, visitors will be able to experience papercutting, sugar painting, embroidery, cotton candy art and more through hands-on activities led by leading artist instructors.
“Hello Panda’s mission is to not only give New Yorkers and visitors something they’ve never seen before but also deliver an experience they can’t find anywhere else,” said Winston Wang, General Manager of CPAA North America. “Our festival will offer a variety of immersive and social media moments that introduce guests to the artistry of lantern-making while bringing different communities together through food and culture.”
“Citi Field is a place where people from all walks of life come together and share an amazing experience,” said Heather Collamore, Vice President of Metropolitan Hospitality at Citi Field. “The Hello Panda Festival is a unique event that promotes cultural exchange while delighting the child in all of us.”
“The World’s Fare is honored to partner with Hello Panda to celebrate culture in the most diverse city in the world,” said Joshua Schneps, CEO of The World’s Fare. “There was a natural synergy between the mission of the festival and our organization, and we couldn’t be more excited to take this journey together.”
Hello Panda Festival sponsors include Guangzhou Ruifeng Audio Technology Corporation Ltd., makers of the professional audio system LAX, who will provide the audio system for the event.
In addition to the Hello Panda Festival at Citi Field, CPAA will also produce the event in Vernon, NJ (Oct. 18, 2019 – Feb. 2, 2020) and at the World Vacation Hotel in Catskill, NY (Oct. 25, 2019 – Mar. 22, 2020).
