Chestnuts are roasting on an open fire and baby, it’s cold outside. That’s right – Christmas is here and it has officially ‘kicked in’ at Brindleyplace, with the help of Magical Lantern Festival.
The city’s leading mixed use development / office and leisure estate has been chosen as the home for a very special Christmas decoration that has come all the way from China.
As part of Magical Lantern Festival, which is taking place at Birmingham Botanical Gardens from now until 2 January 2017, Brindleyplace is bringing a taste of the event to the city by displaying a stunning lantern in Central Square. Sitting at an impressive 5 metres high x 4.5 metres wide x 3.5 metres deep, this lantern is a show-stopping spectacle.
Sam Lawrence, Director of Property Management at Brindleyplace said:
“We are absolutely delighted that Weli Creative has chosen Brindleyplace as the location for its only city centre lantern. We’re honoured to be able to showcase this incredible piece of art and promote the 2,000 year tradition of Chinese lantern festivals to the ten thousand workers based here plus all the visitors who pass through Central Square every week.”
Magical Lantern Festival celebrates Chinese heritage and the tradition of handmade lanterns, with tailor made designs produced in China, and brought over to Birmingham especially for the event.
Brindleyplace is no stranger to embracing Chinese culture, with its annual Dragonboat Race, which returns for its 18th year in 2017.
Event Director, Naz Kabir from Weli Creative, the team behind Magical Lantern Festival, said:
“We’ve created a truly impressive spectacle at Birmingham Botanical Gardens and are now ready to welcome tens of thousands of visitors over the festive season.
“When we chose Birmingham as the place for our first event outside of London, we wanted to give something back to a city that is so rich in culture so had this amazing lantern designed and made especially for the city centre. Based on the ‘Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe’ this lantern provides something for the whole family and we want the city of Birmingham, and Brindleyplace’s visitors, to embrace and enjoy. It’s our little gift to light up everyone’s festive season.”
A visual spectacular never before seen in the region, Magical Lantern Festival welcomes visitors to Birmingham Botanical Gardens through a giant 12-metre wide lantern entrance, before following a stunning trail around the gardens’ beautiful ponds, woodland, and pathways. From Santa and his reindeer, a giant fairy, and playful pandas, to a mesmerizing Chinese Pagoda and even a replica of the Bullring bull, the event is aimed at friends, family and everyone in between.
The Boot Lantern marks the first of Brindleyplace’s festivities, with a Christmas tree set to follow later this week. The estate will also host two festive concerts in support of one of its partner charities, Heart Research UK.
“Come down to the bandstand at The Water’s Edge on 10 and 17 December to join in with Christmas carols and songs, and also meet Santa and his elves, as well as see the beautiful Boot Lantern,” Alex Perrins, Marketing Executive at Brindleyplace concluded.