May 10, 2023

WILD LIGHTS FESTIVAL - BLANK PARK ZOO

7401 SW 9th St, Des Moines, IA 50315

“Blank Park Zoo's Wild Lights Festival presented by MidAmerican Energy Company will feature 50 handcrafted, larger-than-life, illuminated Asian lanterns. This year's festival features underwater wildlife, giant insects, mythical creatures and endangered animals. Immerse your family in a magical night of light and culture in this visually stunning festival.” - Blank Park Zoo Website.

This was the second year I’ve been able to attend the Wild Lights Festival. You can find pictures from last year’s show elsewhere on this website. I believe this year’s show was better than last year’s show, though both were spectacular. Almost every lantern this year had a sign explaining the significance of the animal/object in the Chinese culture. Almost every animal lantern brought back memories of trying to photograph the real animal in the wild or at a zoo/aquarium.

Hint for those who may want to attend in the future: the gates open at 7:30 p.m. and as one might expect there are a lot of families with little children at that time. I usually try to arrive a little after 8:00 pm., spend about 40 minutes walking around the zoo scouting things out, then I sit until the sky turns dark around 9:00 p.m. as this is when the lanterns really show off their colors. The other advantage is the closer to 10:00 p.m. it gets the fewer people (especially families) are still there which makes for a great viewing experience.

I can’t wait for next year.