You are reading

Queens to Host First-Ever Hello Panda Festival at Citi Field

Photo Courtesy of Hello Panda Festival/IW Group.

Dec. 4, 2019 Staff Report

Queens is about to enter the Age of Enlightenment.

The Hello Panda Festival is set to fill Citi Field with intense energy ─ literally and figuratively ─ from Friday, Dec. 6 until Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020.

This first-ever extravaganza celebrates the traditional Chinese art of lantern-making with more than 120 exhibits. (Don’t worry, environmentalists, the artisans are using LED lights – several million of them.)

Of course, real-looking panda bears of various sizes will be there with the gigantic Panda Man Lantern as a main attraction. But they’ll share the audience’s attention with such creations as the world’s tallest Christmas tree lantern (65 feet high), an enormous fairy tale castle, life-size dinosaurs and safari animals, and a 98-foot-long light tunnel.

The handmade, handpainted works will be on display in six theme parks: Community Interactive Zone, Discovery Zone, Dream World, Holiday Wonderland, Interactive Music Zone, and Sports World.

Art galleries and stages for live local and international musical acts will be in giant heated tent areas. And in a clear sign of the times, one tent will have Virtual Reality facilities and gamer booths. (You’re welcome, youngsters.)

Hello Panda will also reflect modern day Queens with 60 international food vendors serving such cuisines as Argentine, Dominican, Mexican, Italian and Thai. In other spots, crafters will sell distinctively Chinese items such as calligraphy, dough sculptures, and sugar paintings.

General admission prices run from $22 to $28. The doors will be open from 5 pm to 10 pm every night for the entire 52-day run.

Finally, this might be the start of something big. The organizing entity, China Performing Arts Agency North America, has contracted with Citi Field to hold Hello Panda annually in Flushing for at least four more years. The goal is to create a traveling global phenomenon.

Photo Courtesy of Hello Panda Festival/IW Group

email the author: news@queenspost.com

Featured Events

Post an Event

View All Events…

2 Comments

Click for Comments 

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News
Queens Together launches ‘Unofficial US Open Dining Guide’ encouraging fans to sample restaurants along the 7 line

Aug. 20, 2025 By Shane O’Brien

The US Open returns to Flushing Meadows Corona Park this Sunday, with more than 1 million attendees anticipated to take mass transit to the iconic annual tennis event. With hundreds of thousands of fans set to take the 7 out to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, there is a world of delicious local eateries lying beneath the elevated train tracks should any fan wish to stop en-route to the US Open.

Read More
0
Can Queens’ food scene thrive with both trucks and restaurants?

Aug. 19, 2025 By Jessica Militello

In Jackson Heights at 4 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon, Roosevelt Avenue is buzzing with energy as commuters file in and out of subway cars and onto the street and cars and trucks grapple to get down the busy road. The street is filled with rows of shops and restaurants, along with food carts, street vendors and food trucks along the avenue. The almost-but-not-quite the weekend lag leaves hungry commuters faced with another choice to make throughout their day and the array of food truck options in busy areas like Jackson Heights offers customers convenience and delicious food without breaking the bank, two features that can feel vital, particularly with rising costs of living and pressure from inflation.

Read More
0
Load More Articles