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Photos: Chinese Lantern Festival sells out in return to St. Louis

St. Louis Public Radio | By Alex Heuer
Published May 26, 2015 at 11:03 AM CDT
On May 23, 2015, the Chinese Lantern Festival returned to the Missouri Botanical Garden for the first time since 2012.
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On May 23, the Chinese Lantern Festival returned to the Missouri Botanical Garden for the first time since 2012.
Jamie Heuer
On May 23, 2015, the Chinese Lantern Festival returned to the Missouri Botanical Garden for the first time since 2012.
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The elephant is a powerful symbol in Buddhism.
Jamie Heuer
On May 23, 2015, the Chinese Lantern Festival returned to the Missouri Botanical Garden for the first time since 2012.
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Twenty-two lantern creations can be found throughout the garden.
Jamie Heuer
On May 23, 2015, the Chinese Lantern Festival returned to the Missouri Botanical Garden for the first time since 2012.
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Lanterns will not be lit on Whitaker Music nights. That is, the festival nights are Thursday through Sunday.
Jamie Heuer
On May 23, 2015, the Chinese Lantern Festival returned to the Missouri Botanical Garden for the first time since 2012.
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Festival admission starts at 6 p.m. each night.
Jamie Heuer
On May 23, 2015, the Chinese Lantern Festival returned to the Missouri Botanical Garden for the first time since 2012.
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People are invited to take photos but asked to leave tripods or monopods at home.
Jamie Heuer
On May 23, 2015, the Chinese Lantern Festival returned to the Missouri Botanical Garden for the first time since 2012.
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A limited number of tickets will be sold each day.
Jamie Heuer
On May 23, 2015, the Chinese Lantern Festival returned to the Missouri Botanical Garden for the first time since 2012.
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Some of the lanterns are made with recycled materials and as much of the lanterns as can be recycled will be.
Jamie Heuer
On May 23, 2015, the Chinese Lantern Festival returned to the Missouri Botanical Garden for the first time since 2012.
9 of 12
Tickets range from $5 for children to $26.
Jamie Heuer
On May 23, 2015, the Chinese Lantern Festival returned to the Missouri Botanical Garden for the first time since 2012.
10 of 12
This display will be up through Aug. 23.
Jamie Heuer
On May 23, 2015, the Chinese Lantern Festival returned to the Missouri Botanical Garden for the first time since 2012.
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The lotus flower has an important place in Chinese mythology.
Jamie Heuer
On May 23, 2015, the Chinese Lantern Festival returned to the Missouri Botanical Garden for the first time since 2012.
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The festival sold out in its return to St. Louis.
Jamie Heuer

On Saturday night, the Chinese Lantern Festival's return to the Missouri Botanical Garden came amid a sellout crowd of 4,500 people.

It’s extremely uncommon to see an authentic Chinese lantern festival outside of Asia. The garden staged its first lantern festival in 2012 as a onetime event and celebration of the completion of Flora of China, a 25-year project documenting China’s wild plants that was completed in cooperation with gardens in China.

This year's edition is Lantern Festival: Magic Reimagined, a display of 22 sets of illuminated Chinese lanterns constructed out of steel and silk. It runs through Aug. 23.

Click on the photo above to view a photo slideshow. And check out our audio tour and photos of the festival when it was under construction.
Tags
Arts Chinese Lantern FestivalMissouri Botanical Garden
Alex Heuer
Alex is the executive producer of "St. Louis on the Air" at St. Louis Public Radio.
See stories by Alex Heuer
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