Are you looking to start a fun holiday tradition the whole family will love? Well look no further! Magical Winter Lights continues to be one of the largest holiday lighting events in Houston, and the largest lantern festival of its kind to take place in the U.S. This 50-day festival will be returning to Houston for its third year, and, as a result of its massive appeal, will be expanding to the Dallas-Fort Worth area this year as well!
Magical Winter Lights is unlike any other light display in the Southwest. While there’s a ton of family-friendly activities, the main attraction is the larger-than-life Chinese lanterns that speak to the local audience, while presenting a fresh multicultural take on traditional holiday light shows.
Read on to learn more about this amazing festive spectacle!
Light up the Night with Larger-Than-Life Lantern Displays
Magical Winter Lights is inspired by the Chinese lantern festivals that began about 2000 years ago, during the Han Dynasty, to celebrate the “declining darkness of winter.” The 2017 festival will display seven fascinating themed sections including Magical Wonderland, a mesmerizing world that has everything you could dream of, from a whimsical forest to a mysterious pirate ship; Mystery of the East, an homage to Asia and its vibrant cultures that includes lantern renditions of the Great Wall of China and Chinese porcelain; and the festival’s newest attraction, The Lone Star State, which features a few Texas staples, like a 36-foot-tall cowboy and a maze filled with eight Texas icons and buildings.
Experience Incredible Chinese Acrobatic Performances
Watch spellbinding nightly performances from incredibly skilled Chinese Acrobats. Their particular style of performance art was developed over 2,500 years ago as a source of household entertainment, wherein acrobats would juggle and balance everyday objects like tables, chairs, jars, plates, and bowls. This evolved to incorporate costumes, music, and theatrical elements that mesmerize and enchant audiences around the world. During Magical Winter Lights 2015, these acts included contortion, hoop driving, single hand balancing, and much more! You can bet that 2017 is going to be bigger and better than ever, so be sure to get a front row seat!
Delight in Festive Holiday Characters and Activities
Meet some of your favorite characters, like the Ice Sisters: a braided-blonde-haired young queen with magical powers, and her quirky, red-headed sister whose love and bravery ends the eternal winter. And of course, the one and only Santa Claus will be there for photos in front of the gigantic Magical Winter Lights Christmas Tree!
But that’s not all! Enjoy nightly live entertainment, amusement rides and games, and an expanded dinosaur exhibit, complete with kid-friendly dinosaur rides. Participate in authentic arts and crafts created by skilled Chinese artisans. Then fuel up at the Holiday Market Square, where you’ll have the chance to explore the full-sized festival food court and shopping areas.
This awesome event is only here for a short time, so get your tickets today for Houston or Dallas-Fort Worth!
“Each year, we spend months meticulously planning to guarantee our attendees the chance to experience something they haven’t before during the holidays. One of the new additions for 2017 is the Lone Star State section, which pays homage to Magical Winter Lights’ home state, Texas. Magical Winter Lights has become a new holiday tradition for Houstonians in two short years. We are very excited to offer this new holiday tradition to the residents of the Dallas-Fort Worth area!” – Yusi C. An, Founder of Magical Winter Lights.