Milwaukee is in for a treat this September!
China Lights, the popular Chinese lantern festival, is returning to Milwaukee County’s Boerner Botanical Gardens for the sixth time this fall.
The show run September 15th through October 29th, and tickets are now on sale.
The China Lights lantern festival, presented by Tri-City Bank, is a partnership between Milwaukee County Parks and Tianyu Arts & Culture, and was an instant hit when it first came to Boerner Botanical Gardens in 2016.
This year’s ‘Nature’s Glow” theme will shine a light on biodiversity of the ocean and beyond to jungle animals and insects. The lantern displays made their debut at the Natural History Museum of France. Milwaukee is the first stop in the United States.
Nearly 400,000 people have toured the light shows since, and this year the festival returns with a new theme and new lantern displays.
China Lights features more than 40 larger-than-life themed lanterns, including a giant 20 foot high Octopus that visitors can walk through, an animated crab that “bubbles”, a 20 foot long T-rex walk through tunnel, and a series of animated and illuminated bugs that shine lights on the biodiversity of the insect’s world.
The iconic Chinese Dragon will be back, but in a completely different form.
The lanterns, which are 99.9% new this year, will be displayed around a three-quarter mile walking route through Boerner Botanical Gardens.
Visitors will also enjoy the various interactive light displays and elements which are embedded throughout the lantern displays and found throughout the gardens.
China Lights continues to celebrate Asian folk-culture, with live performances from professional entertainers on the We-Energies stage each night, and a variety of food and beverage selections, including the popular beer garden in the shrub mall area.
“China Lights has become a yearly favorite for the community and tourists alike! We know people are excited to see what the new show will bring to the Boerner Botanical Gardens this year,” said Guy Smith, Executive Director at the Milwaukee County Parks.
“We’re proud to showcase an illuminating experience with brand new lanterns along the unique backdrop of the gorgeous Gardens here in Hales Corners.”
“Over the last couple of years, we’ve also improved accessibility at Boerner Botanical with upgraded pathways, to ensure even more people can enjoy events like China Lights.”
China Lights runs from Sept 15 – Oct 29, Tuesday through Sunday, from 5:30-10:00 p.m.
Tickets for China Lights are available online at chinalights.org. Tickets will be sold online at ChinaLights.org for a specific date and time. There are three time slots for tickets each night – 5:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m..
A limited number of walk-up tickets will be available at the box office at the festival entrance from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.. There will be a $5- $10 surcharge for walk-up tickets.
Parking:
Premium paid parking is in the paved lot nearest the China Lights entrance. Tickets for this lot may be purchased on a first come first serve basis. The same parking lot will also be available on a first-come, first-served basis to people with disabilities who have state-issued disabled parking or disabled Veteran parking license plates, or the state-issued disabled parking identification card.
First-come, first-served, complimentary parking will be available at fully lighted parking lots. A complimentary shuttle service will serve the outer lots. Additional street parking will be available where marked.
Designated drop-off areas for authorized taxis/uber and motorcoaches will also be located near the China Lights entrance. Motorcoach operators must make advance arrangements.
Admission:
Tickets are sold online for a specific date and time. There are two time slots for tickets each night – 5:30PM and 7:30PM.
A limited number of walk-up tickets will be available at the box office at the festival entrance from 5:00PM – 9:00PM. There will be a $5 – $10 surcharge for walk-up tickets.
Advance ticket prices are the following:
General Admission (13yrs+): $22 weekday, $25 weekend
Child (3-12yrs): $14 weekday, $16 weekend
Infant (under 3): free
Early Entry* (any age): $25 weekday, $28 weekend (only 100 early-entry tickets issued per night)
Family Pack (2 general, 2 children): $62 weekday, $$70 weekend
Unlimited-visit Individual Season Pass: $55
Walk-up ticket prices are the following:
General Admission (13yrs+): $35
Child (3-12yrs): $20
*Family Pack, Season Pass and Early Entry are not available at the box office.
*Early Entry tickets include the following:
1) Entry at 5:00pm to beat the crowd.
2) Guided tour at 5:15pm.
3) A souvenir set of China Lights postcards (with photos of favorite lanterns from 2016 -2019).
