Wellington Night Market Lantern Festival

Overview

This weekend Lower Cuba Street will transform with hundreds of handmade lanterns. Lantern Festival is one of Wellington Night Market's annual events, marking the arrival of Chinese New Year.

This year's two-day celebration of the Year of the Dog will be illuminated by life-sized sculptured lanterns in the form of a five-metre long dragon, a three-metre high peacock, a two-metre high panda, a butterfly and a kiwi. Each lantern is custom-build by Chinese artisans and typically takes a month to complete.

The Midsummer Night Dream Lantern Parade will take place on Friday 16 February. The procession involves hundreds of local families who have made their own lanterns at specialised lantern making workshops, giant lanterns made by local artists, and dancers to showcase the artistic and creative side of Wellington.

In addition, over 50 Wellington local food stalls will be serving up delicious treats all night and there will be over 50 performances.