NEW YORK, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- A lantern festival featuring traditional Chinese art and culture will soon make its debut in New York City, offering a diverse holiday experience to local communities.
Starting from Nov. 28, the New York Winter Lantern Festival will light up a seven-acre area of the Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden in the city's Staten Island borough, with more than 3,000 colorful lanterns assembled into 40 LED installations in different shapes and patterns.
Lighting up lanterns is a Chinese holiday tradition dating back more than 1,800 years. China's Lantern Festival is celebrated every year on Jan. 15 of the lunar calendar.
The Staten Island festival also will showcase martial arts, face-changing, lion dance, and many other traditional Chinese art forms.
A signature event for the China National Tourist Office in New York, the festival is co-hosted by New York Events & Entertainment and Haitian Culture.
The festival will run for six weeks till Jan. 6, 2019.
