5. NYC Winter Lantern Festival

NYC Winter Lantern Festival
Courtesy of NYC Winter Lantern Festival.

Through January 9, 2022, the NYC Winter Lantern Festival will take place in three locations across the five boroughs. The first, A Bug’s Night: Drive Through Adventure, takes place at the Nassau County Museum of Art on Long Island. Featuring over 20 acres of holiday lights, projection mapping, and vivid handmade lanterns in the shapes of flowers, bugs, and animals, A Bug’s Night: Drive Through Adventure is an unforgettable experience. Tickets are priced per vehicle and cost between $35 to $60 depending on the day of the week. 

The second installation of the Winter Lantern Festival is Escape, located at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center in Staten Island. With over 15,000 annual guests, Escape transforms eight acres of the center’s botanical garden into an immersive world of lights featuring a lantern display, live DJ, projection mapping, and food vendors to enjoy on the site. At the Queens County Farm Museum is the third and final installment of the Winter Lantern Festival, Illuminate the Farm, which includes a display of handmade lanterns in the shapes of flowers, tractors, and farm animals. Prices per person for both range from $17 to $30.