Rob and I left our visit to the festival until the last possible moment, whizzing through the gates on Friday, October 5th--- the last Friday of the festival! Since the lanterns are set up throughout Ontario Place, the view from the entrance gates is quite magical, lights shimmering as far as the eye can see. As you cross the bridge to gain access to the festival's island-setting, you pass under Dragon and Phoenix's glowing bellies, two animals that bring good luck according to Chinese lore. Aside from the occasional street lamp, the lanterns are the predominant source of light and cast a romantic, colourful glow on people's faces as they walk past the various structures. From elaborate scenes in water or on hills to single lanterns hanging along the walking path or lantern statues of soldiers, the light show is simply stunning. Using materials such as silk, plastics and even cutlery, over 80 craftsmen from museums in China, lived at Ontario Place for almost two months in order to build the lanterns showcased in the festival. Not only are the lanterns made to be intricately detailed works of art, they are also accompanied by a description of its historical significance--- something that Rob and I truly came to appreciate. That is, not only are the lanterns incredibly beautiful but they are meaningful as well. A visit to the Cinesphere IMAX theatre on-site further embellished our appreciation for the displays as we sat and learned all about the Qin Dynasty in "The First Emperor of China." As a matter of fact, almost all of the lantern displays showcase historical moments from the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE), the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Other major themes include the upcoming 2008 Bejing Olympics, the silk trade, war and animals.

Winding around the island, appreciating the elaborate displays of sound and light, can make you a little hungry-- thus the easy access to various tasting stations set up for your palate's pleasure. From $3 to $8 dollars, you can can savour some authentic Chinese cuisine or pick up some food to try out later. Beef balls, dumplings, sticky rice (wrapped in a leaf), a variety of meat and vegetable rolls, noodles and bubble tea are on-hand! You can also take a seat at the Tea House and learn about the ancient art of tea cultivation, preparation and culture. We sat in on a tea ceremony and learned about the various kinds of tea and their health benefits.

Once we had the opportunity to view all of the lantern displays, we took a quick peek at the dancers performing at the Toronto Star Stage. The Chinese Cultural Centre had arranged for a variety of talent to perform throughout the festival, including martial arts artists, an acrobatic troupe, and a chinese dance ensemble.

Overall, Rob and I truly enjoyed the festival. Rob especially enjoyed the opportunity to further develop his nighttime photography skills. We both agreed that the combination of the entry fee ($25 per adult) and a $12 fee to park anywhere remotely close to the event, made this a pricey evening out for us but we also felt that it was well worth it in the end. Perhaps not a yearly event for us, we both feel that this was both an artistic and cultural event to enjoy at least once!

2) If you have one, bring a remote release. If you don't set your camera on timer mode and don't touch your camera while it's counting down.

3) Turn off your flash! Flashes are too small to make any type of difference, and will probably ruin your picture. Longer exposures are the way to go.

4). Bracket your exposures. Some of the colors really pop at lower exposures, but detail looks great when it's bright. As a bonus, if you bracket 3 images (2 stop difference), you can combine them in photoshop to make a HDR image.