It’s that time of year again, with shops decked out in Christmas decorations and explosions of green and red. This year, however, Chiswick House has chosen to do something different to acknowledge the celebration. The Magical Lantern Festival London is back for a third year, this time with a festive twist. Opening to the public on November 24th, the Christmas-themed Lantern Festival boasts spectacular lights, including ‘Santa and his Reindeers’, a food and drink area, Santa’s Grotto, fairground rides for your little ones and merchandise marquees to buy special souvenirs to remember the fantastic night.
The Festival is a sensational blend of different cultures and art, lighting up the vast gardens of Chiswick House with beautiful lanterns, with shapes such as Noah’s Ark and a stunning recreation of an ‘Ancient City from the Song Dynasty’. To add to the wonderful promise, based on last year’s popularity, Chiswick House have decided to extend the viewing period to 1st January 2018.
However, not all is rosy in the garden, as local residents have complained about inconsiderate parking from last year’s visitors. One resident from nearby Chesterfield Road said that he hoped that the organizers would listen to other residents’ concerns, given the number of parking problems there were last year. In response to this, Chiswick House has listed directions using public transport on their website to encourage visitors not to inconvenience local residents. We shall see how successful this year’s attempts to keep residential parking clear will turn out.
