See Glowing Dinosaurs, Luminous Pandas, an Illuminated Dragon, and an Undersea World of Brilliant Sea Creatures
The Dragon Lights Festival in Reno, Nevada, creates a magical world through mid-August
Story and photos by April Orcutt
Glowing and colorful, dinosaurs lined the trail. Dinos evolved into gigantic birds so some of these seven-foot creatures show the “Big Bird” stage of the creatures’ metamorphic existence. In any case, they were fascinating and fun.
One dinosaur stood among radiant green plants with purple flowers. Nearby a five-foot-tall, polka-dot egg cracked open to reveal a baby green-and-red dinosaur with the cutest little pink feet kicking up into the air.
Oh, it was fun walking along the trail of the Dragon Lights Festival at the Wilbur D. May Arboretum and Botanical Gardens in Rancho San Rafael Park in Reno, Nevada. And everyone else on the path seemed to be having a great time, too. Smiles and selfies abounded.
The festival presented more than 42 “lantern sculptures” constructed of steel frameworks covered with fabric and filled with LED lights that add the magical touch.
(© April Orcutt)
I visited with my husband, Michael Kamerick, and five friends. We strolled down a walkway lined with Chinese lanterns and mini-dragons. Rounding the corner we faced the grandest highlight of this festival that runs through Aug. 12, 2022: a magnificent dragon, more than 15 feet tall, about 200 feet long, and radiating in reds and oranges with touches of blues and purples, a marvel of artistry and craftsmanship.
We continued our journey, past two giant angel wings — too big for selfies but perfect for having a friend step back and snap your photo between the ever-changing colors and patterns of the wings.
Chinese culture dominated the first third of the half-mile loop where visitors took photos in front of abstract representations of the Chinese lunar calendar, fanciful swans, and many big-eyed pandas.
Next along the walk came the undersea section with a 12-foot-wide blue-and-purple crab, a humpback whale, dolphins, a walk-through shark (enter through the mouth), large jellyfish, 10-foot-wide clams holding multicolored “pearls,” and multitudes of yellow, purple, green, indigo, crimson, and orange fish surrounding the path. The scene reminded me of the recent James Webb Telescope photos of the early years of our galaxy with multicolored galaxies all around.
Then — ah — the dinosaurs, with two Tyrannosaurus rex, a triceratops, a stegosaurus, several velociraptors, and their feathered descendants.
Families with small children came before dark to see the unilluminated animals. After dark, most of them left, but many more people arrived to see the lighted critters. (Although it was outdoors, after dark with the bigger crowds, we all wore masks.)
The after-dark show is really the magical one. After all, it’s called the Dragon Lights Festival. Not only do the critters glow, but many also change colors. The chambered nautilus was a lovely blue during the day, but at night it transformed from brilliant blue to green to teal. And the ever-changing puffer fish became positively psychedelic.
Did my friends like it? That’s all we talked about on the 45-minute drive back to one couple’s home. And the next evening we sat around in front of the TV while each of us uploaded all our photos to the screen. All seven of us — and all our photos. If someone missed one, someone else said, “Where’s the shot of the Audreys, the Little Shop of Horrors flowers?” Or “. . . of me on the illuminated swing?” Or “you next to the dolphin?” We didn’t want to miss a thing.
Did we like it? Yes — it was so enjoyable that we spent two evenings in a row at Dragon Lights Reno — one physically and then virtually.
If You Go:
Reno, Nev.: Dragon Lights Reno runs through Aug. 12, 2022, at the Wilbur D. May Arboretum and Botanical Gardens in Rancho San Rafael Park. dragonlightsreno.org/
Philadelphia, Penn.: Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival through Aug. 7, 2022, at Franklin Square, 6th and Race Sts. historicphiladelphia.org/chineselanternfestival/
Cleveland, Ohio: Asian Lantern Festival through Aug. 17, 2022, at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, 3900 Wildlife Way. clevelandmetroparks.com/zoo/programs-events/2022/special-events/asian-lantern-festival-presented-by-meijer
Buffalo, N.Y.: Zoomagination: The Festival of Lanterns and Lights through Aug. 21, 2022, at the Buffalo Zoo. buffalozoo.org/event/zoomagination-the-festival-of-lanterns-and-lights-presented-by-five-star-bank/
Boston, Mass.: Boston Lights: A Lantern Experience through Nov. 11, 2022, at Franklin Park Zoo, 1 Franklin Park Rd. zoonewengland.org/engage/boston-lights/
Pittsburgh, Penn.: Aug.-Sept. tianyuculture.us/
Milwaukee, Wisc.: Sept.-Oct. tianyuculture.us/
For more information about various lantern shows and their creators, Tianyu Arts & Culture, Inc., go to: tianyuculture.us/
Find more of April Orcutt’s stories at travmedia.com/aprilorcutt, AprilOrcutt.com, AprilOrcutt.Medium.com, Medium.com/BATW-Travel-Stories, and Medium.com/Travel-Insights-And-Outtakes.
