The cost of maintaining the park was the justification for bringing in the lantern festival, which wrapped the public park in an eight-foot chain-link fence for seven weeks, and charged $17 for admission. Since taking over the maintenance and programming of Franklin Square 11 years ago, Historic Philadelphia has been largely responsible for transforming it from a derelict eyesore to a destination park for tourists, daycare centers, and residents seeking a clean, green respite. The festival is learning from what happened last year.Īccording to Historic Philadelphia, which manages Franklin Square, 92,000 people bought tickets to the first festival, bringing in over $200,00 for park maintenance. This year he is doing a more formal survey to get accurate data on the festival’s financial impact on the neighborhood. If you go to China or Hong Kong lantern festivals are an annual event, but when you migrate to Philadelphia we just didn’t have the capacity to put on a festival like this.”Ĭhin said he has anecdotal evidence that restaurant owners and shopkeepers around the square felt a boost in sales last year. “Last year was the first time Philadelphia had a lantern festival. “The residents of Chinatown loved it,” said Chin. John Chin, executive director of the Chinatown Development Corporation, said the first festival was a shot in the arm for the neighborhood. It wouldn’t be a Philadelphia temporary park attraction without a beer garden, this one in the shadow of the giant dragon lantern. The festival of fantastically ornate light will also feature traditional food, performances, and crafts from China. WHYY thanks our sponsors - become a WHYY sponsor
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