Calgary Zoo hosting first ILLUMINASIA festival
Posted Aug 27, 2015 5:46 pm.
Last Updated Aug 27, 2015 5:47 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A new festival is expected to light up the Calgary Zoo during some cooler fall nights. ILLUMINASIA Lantern and Garden Festival is coming to the zoo.
Special events Advisor Roz Freeman says there’s 336 handcrafted lanterns made in China that will be spread through the grounds.
“They’re created from a 3D metal frame and then they are wrapped in a silk rayon which is a very luxurious yet durable material, and then they are handpainted and airbrushed,” she says.
The lanterns lead the way to live performances, exhibits and programming for children. Each week of celebration focuses on a different country, with themes for China, Japan and India.
“It seemed like the right opportunity, with the growing Asian population in Calgary, with our beautiful grounds and with the giant pandas arriving in 2018,” says Freeman.
ILLUMINASIA will be open Thursday to Sunday starting September 17.
The festival will end on November 1.
The zoo is showcasing some of the lanterns at GlobalFest.
