TULSA -- A new festival is lighting up west Tulsa.
The Lantern Light Festival opens this Friday at the River West Festival Park.
The festival celebrates the Chinese New Year that has been a tradition for more than 2,000 years.
This Lantern Light Festival has only been around for a year.
A bright-colored dinosaur, mosquito, Santa and a 30-foot tall panda are featured in the Tulsa festival. All of the lanterns are hand-crafted from bent metal and silk and are filled with millions of lights.
Organizers fly Chinese artists in to make the lanterns. They work for six weeks to construct each festival. Sanjay Syal, president of the Pinnacle Production Group out of Minnesota, said the art of lantern making is something passed down in families.
"We pretty much draw all these designs you see here on the ground," Syal said pointing at a sketch of the Tulsa Golden Driller.
Next to the sketch is the lantern, tailored specifically to the Tulsa festival, being made.
River West Festival Park said they are receiving between 20 and 30 calls a day about the Lantern Light Festival. They said that is in line with how many the receive each year for Oktoberfest, which is the biggest festival the grounds see each year.
Syal said the festival is not cheap to put on. It costs between $1.5 million and $2 million at every stop on their tour around the country.
The most expensive piece to make is the head of the 400-foot-long dragon. Syal said it costs $50,000 and that does not include the body.
"It has so much detail in it," Syal said. "It takes almost two weeks and about six people to build by themselves."
The rest of the dragon has scales that are individually attached by the Chinese artists. Details on each of the lanterns are impressive even when they are not lit up.
"I always encourage people to come just before it gets dark," Syal said. "The way the lanterns look in the sunlight is completely different than the way they look when the lights are turned on."
Syal said it is a very complex event to put on. Each city has presented a new challenge. He said in Tulsa, he is most worried about the weather.
Even with the challenges, Syal said seeing people walk in under the lit up arch at the front is rewarding.
"They look up and go 'Wow'," Syal said. "That's the best feeling you're going to have in this business."
Click here for ticket pricing and a schedule for the Lantern Light Festival.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Download our free app for Apple and Android and Kindle devices.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.
