Magic Lantern Festival in Chicago

Last Friday, I took my camera on an adventure to the Magic Lantern Festival near McCormick Place in Chicago. For months I had been driving past these boldly colored larger than life sculptures as I traveled down Lake Shore Drive. They were just begging to be photographed and I wanted to see them up close. The setting was quite absurd, as these magical creatures were parked in a vacant lot with no one around whenever I drove by them. It was as if they had been abandoned, like a carnival display in storage.
Turns out the show opened daily at 5:30 pm and with the cold spring most people didn’t brave the weather to see the show up close. The sculptures were created in China, where there are annual lantern festivals.
But on the last weekend, it was a beautiful warm evening, so I rode the bus downtown, hiked around the Field Museum and Soldier’s Field plus one parking lot to get to the entrance. As my Parkinson’s shake challenges me to hold the camera steady, I knew I needed to plan my shoot for early evening while there was still daylight for faster shutter speeds. (No tripods allowed). So I arrived shortly after the show opened, which was great, as only a few families were there with small children. I could take my time setting up shots, wandering the vast spaces between displays. The children were racing around excited by all the colors and characters, plus the space to run wild in.
Up close, the sculptures showed the wear and tear of all those unsupervised kids (and careless adults) disregarding the “Don’t Touch” signs, not to mention the violent hail storm the day before. The puddles left from the storm offered lovely opportunities for reflection images.
Quite frankly the show saprkled from afar with beautiful colors and artistry on display, but up close not much more was going on. A few booths sold stuffed pandas and cheap imports. There was overpriced festival food and performances by teenage contortionists. I was glad I only came to shoot and that I left before the masses waiting outside arrived. I actually felt sorry for those who would clearly be waiting an hour or more to get in. Would they feel cheated?
I didn’t because I enjoyed two hours of intense looking and felt fed by the color and space. I am grateful to all those who worked to create the lanterns and I know they must have been more spectacular in the dark. Enjoy the images and if any of them interest you for purchase, contact me. I can print them any size up to 12″ x 16″.