Chinese Lantern Festival coming to Centennial Olympic Park

November 7,2016

Source: Amy Wenk, Atlanta Business Chronicle

"A new winter event is coming to downtown’s Centennial Olympic Park.

The Georgia World Congress Authority (GWCCA), the state agency that oversees the park, announced it will launch the Southeast’s first Chinese Lantern Festival.

The event will run Dec. 9 through Jan. 15, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. each night.

The park will be illuminated with 25 decorative lanterns, handcrafted giant flowers, a three-story pagoda and a 200-foot-long Chinese dragon — all created by Chinese artisans. There will also be live entertainment and vendors.

It’s a ticketed event.

The operator of the city's Ferris wheel, SkyView Atlanta, will be a partner on the festival, according to an announcement.

“We hope this becomes a tradition metro Atlanta can enjoy for years to come,” said Todd Schneider, managing partner of SkyView Atlanta.

The GWCCA’s new chief commercial officer Joe Bocherer said, “Centennial Olympic Park is continuously striving to add new features that serve the interests of the community and we believe the Chinese Lantern Festival will be a favorite attraction this holiday season.”

The new event comes as Centennial Olympic Park celebrates its 20th anniversary. A big makeover should soon kick off at the park. Read more about that project here."