The event will be located at University Place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is hosted by the Chinese School at Chapel Hill.
“The LightUp lantern festival creates a great opportunity to let the community as a whole know more about itself,” said Alice Hsu, principal of the Chapel Hill Chinese and Language Culture School, which will also participate in the festival.
“Getting to know other people’s background and culture in this festival would facilitate more understanding about each other and together grow the community toward a friendlier atmosphere.”
The festival will feature cultural crafts, activities, performances, food, cultural exhibits and interactive activities, including lantern decorating and a dragon dance workshop.
“In this festival we focus a lot on learning and sharing about a culture in a more interactive way — we don’t appreciate from a distance, we actually do it,” said Ting-Ting Chu, the artistic director for the festival.
A lot of the activities within the festival are sponsored by local Chapel Hill businesses, including the Kidzu Children’s Museum. The museum will have an interactive activity teaching children how to make their own paper circuits, said Rose Cuomo, the community outreach and special programs coordinator at Kidzu.
“We wanted to bring some of our STEM education that we highlight at the museum right directly into the festival,” Cuomo said. “Also, we were really excited to have an opportunity to be part of an event that is representative of Chapel Hill’s diverse community, and just excited to see something new happening in the community.”
Four Chapel Hill-Carrboro public schools are participating in the festival as well. Students have decorated their own lanterns, which will be up for auction at the event. All of the proceeds will be returned to the schools for future art projects.
