Went to the Lantern Light Festival at the Alameda Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, California. The main…read moredraw for me was the lights. I have no children to worry about entertaining, so I just wanted to come here to enjoy seeing all the lanterns and light installations. It was absolutely gorgeous. As a cosplayer wanting to build more light-up props, I enjoyed seeing the lanterns up close. Everything from the entrance gate, the long undulating Chinese dragon with its animatronic head rotating from side to side, the astrological signs, the castles, apple trees, wishing trees, animals, all the flowers, and so much more, were absolutely inspiring and filled my heart with holiday joy. My friend and I enjoyed going around taking photos of the lights. I also appreciated that the pamphlet with the map of the park included photos of how the lanterns were built.
The other attraction at the festival was the Chinese acrobat performance. They occurred once per hour, and the performers are very talented. Such amazing display of athleticism!
I could have sworn that the adult ticket allowed one dragon ride. Unfortunately, to my disappointment, the dragon rides were ONLY FOR CHILDREN. I felt very mislead and cheated.
The food was pricey. Although we ate dinner before coming, I paid $5 for 3 deep fried oreos, and another $5 for a drink (I had hot apple cider, my friend had hot chocolate). Churros were also $5, and just ONE deep fried Twinkie was $6, so I passed on that.
Everything else at the festival was geared towards children, so aside from walking around being awe-inspired by the lights, there was nothing else to do.
I went to WinterFest at Great America earlier this month, and while I'd say the Lantern Light Festival has much more impressive light displays, WinterFest had much more to offer since in addition to dazzling displays of beautiful lights, they also had roller coasters, more variety of shows, and more activities that not just the kids can enjoy. Overall, the Lantern Light Festival felt like a cheap version of WinterFest.