Get ready for a spectacular spring in the Charlotte area as Concord Mills plays host to the Tianyu Lights Festival, a jaw-dropping visual experience inspired by traditional Chinese lanterns, that began on April 18 and runs through June 22. This breathtaking showcase promises to light up the night with stunning, larger-than-life displays.
The show, which is located in the AMC parking lot at Concord Mills (8421 Concord Mills Blvd. Concord, NC 28027), will be open Wednesday through Sunday nights in April and May, and Tuesday through Sunday nights in June, including the popular Easter and Memorial Day holiday weekends. Entry times begin at 6:30 p.m., with the last entry at 9:00 p.m. every day.
The Charlotte area’s most unique and most Instagrammable light show features 25 unforgettable lantern displays across three themed areas: Enchanted Land, Animal Kingdom, and Ocean World, along with an interactive and illuminated playground fit for all ages. A stage featuring nightly live acrobatic performances helps to immerse the audience in the elements of Chinese culture that inspired the show.
Tickets for this one-of-a-kind sensory experience go on sale Friday, April 4, with prices starting at just $15 for children aged 3-11 and $20 for ages 12 and up. Kids under 3 are free with an accompanying adult. To purchase tickets, visit TianyuCulture.us/Charlotte.
The Enchanted Land section was inspired by Norse mythology, taking visitors past a 60-foot tall crystal castle, griffins, dragons, and unicorns.
From there, guests enter a serene landscape inspired by the natural world that surrounds us, featuring stunning floral and wildlife lanterns. Walking beneath mammoth morning glories or alongside a field of supersized peony blooms, one might feel as though they’ve stepped through the looking glass and into a real-life children’s book.
The surreal feeling grows when guests encounter a pair of 13-foot talking parrots that mimic what you say along the route through the Animal Kingdom, which takes them past cuddly giant pandas, a family of ocelots prowling a tree, and a feather-spreading peacock.
Continuing on, visitors enter the underwater kingdom, where they’ll encounter a blue whale and a giant octopus, float along the path beside a bale of sea turtles and past an eerily beautiful bloom of jellyfish. A vibrant, coral-lined pathway will transport visitors to the tropics.
An interactive, illuminated play area concludes the tour as visitors will enter a “forest of lights” above an interactive floor that lights up as guests walk across its tiles. Other fun experiences include a 3D wall, glowing swings perfect for selfies, and musical lanterns with keyboards for guests to create their own multisensory experiences. Enjoy over 10 exciting arcade games – all included in admission at no extra cost. Looking for something extra? Hop behind the wheel of the glowing Magic Ride car for just $5, and don’t miss the immersive VR experience, available to pay and play for an unforgettable experience!
A Tianyu Arts and Culture gift shop offers the opportunity for visitors to take the experience home with them as well, with illuminated paintings, Chinese lanterns and more.
About Tianyu Arts & Culture
Tianyu Arts & Culture, Inc. is the American subsidiary of the international design and manufacturing company Sichuan Tianyu Arts & Culture, Inc. is the largest Chinese lantern festival producer in North America and one of the first companies to bring authentic Chinese lantern traditions to the United States and Europe. The Chicago-based corporation is a subsidiary of Sichuan Tianyu Culture Communication Co., Ltd., headquartered in Zigong in the Sichuan Province of China. Tianyu strives for quality by focusing on three core components: conservation and natural beauty, turnkey festival operations, and interactive visitor experiences. In the past 10 years, Tianyu’s team of professionals have produced over 159 festivals in the United States, appearing in 53 cities and welcoming over 10 million visitors. To learn more about Tianyu Arts & Culture, Inc., please visit https://tianyuculture.us/.
About Simon
Simon® is a real estate investment trust engaged in the ownership of premier shopping, dining, entertainment and mixed-use destinations and an S&P 100 company (Simon Property Group, NYSE: SPG). Our properties across North America, Europe and Asia provide community gathering places for millions of people every day and generate billions in annual sales.