Get enlightened at Wildwood Park Lanterns! fest

Frank Sinatra crooned about it. Ralph Kramden made threats about it. But this weekend, a journey to the moon is as easy as driving to Denny Road.

It's time for the 10th annual Lanterns! festival at Wildwood Park for the Arts, a festival full of luminaria, music, food and crafts that transport visitors to different cultural vistas.

Executive director Leslie Golden explains that the purpose of the festival is to celebrate the lunar new year and to raise money for Wildwood's programs.

"It's magical," Golden says. "There's something sort of spectacular about walking through the gardens at night with pathways lit with luminaria and people moving around. Going from vista to vista and pockets of entertainment and excitement happening. You go down another path and here's Ireland. There's Italy. It's the discovery of each of the vistas that makes it exciting."

Every year, the park is transformed, inside and out, into eight different cultural scenes. And, since the entire festival is anchored in Chinese traditions and the lunar year's first full moon, China and the Moon are mainstays.

This year, those locations will be joined by Egypt, Morocco, New York, Cuba, Ireland and Italy.

Each vista will feature special food, crafts, games and entertainment, and this year guests can expect the following:

• A steel band in Cuba.

• Karaoke and s'mores at the Moon.

• Irish dancers in Ireland.

• Opera and a chance to launch "wishing lanterns" on the lake in Italy.

• Broadway show tunes and street food in New York.

There will be additional fees for food and drinks. Souvenirs, such as painted fans in China, will be sold.

And, at each stop, people can learn facts about the country they're "visiting." Gold says, "We hope people walk away with little tidbits of information they may have never known about a particular culture that may inspire them to learn more about that culture."

While it's a family friendly event, Golden says "You don't have to bring kids to enjoy it. It can be really romantic too. People have a great time no matter where they are in their lives or how they enjoy their entertainment."

The Central Arkansas Astrological Society will be on hand this year with their telescopes for night sky viewing (weather permitting) and Arkansas Circus Arts will provide entertainment and excitement with juggling and fire dancing.

Parking is available along Denny Road but people are also welcome to park at the Promenade at Chenal and catch the shuttle, which will run every 30 minutes or so.

In case of rain, much of the entertainment will be moved indoors.

"It's still a spectacular event, no matter what the weather is," Golden says. "It just changes the nature of it a little bit, no pun intended."

Weekend on 03/01/2018