# North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival

> Event for families in the Raleigh–Cary area (NC). Times are Eastern Time.

- When: Nov 21 – Jan 10 · 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
- Where: Koka Booth Amphitheatre, 8003 Regency Parkway, Cary, NC 27518
- Ages: Children 2 and under are always free.
- Price: Ticketed (Any Night, Twilight and Evening Session tickets; prices on Etix)
- Organizer: Koka Booth Amphitheatre (Town of Cary)
- Official page: https://www.etix.com/ticket/e/1060369/2026-nc-chinese-lanternevening-session-6pm-cary-koka-booth-amphitheatre
- Last checked: Sat, Oct 24

Source: Grassy Knees is a directory of real family events, places and programs for kids across major U.S. metro areas, where every listing is researched from the organizer’s own page and shows the date we last checked it. https://grassyknees.com covers 42 metro areas as of Oct 24, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about
Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-10-24), and new events are added as organizers post them. Sell-outs, weather cancellations and time changes show up on the live page first: https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/north-carolina-chinese-lantern-festival--listing-40d644119b2d7eeb2d85d262

## About

For its eleventh year the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival fills Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary with all-new, larger-than-life lantern displays made by Chinese artisans — each built from hundreds of pieces and lit by thousands of LEDs — plus nightly cultural arts performances. Families walk the illuminated paths after dark, so dress warmly and plan about an hour or more. It is open daily 6–10 pm (arrive by 9 pm) from November 21 to January 10, closed Christmas Day. Ticket types: Any Night (flexible), Evening Session (a set night; price rises on the day) and Twilight Session (gates 4:30 pm for golden-hour photos and smaller crowds). Children 2 and under are free. A Sensory-Friendly Night on December 1 has lower-volume music, reduced attendance, no strobe or flashing lights and a Quiet Area.

## Similar picks in Raleigh

- [Downtown Raleigh Tree Lighting and Holiday Market](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/downtown-raleigh-tree-lighting-and-holiday-market--listing-1b892e4c8697c867e502f3e8) — Fri, Nov 20 · 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM · Moore Square · checked Oct 24. Downtown Raleigh's tree lighting celebration returns to Moore Square, drawing more than 4,000 people to see the Raleigh Christmas tree lit for the season. A holiday vendor market…
- [Apex Chanukah Festival](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/apex-chanukah-festival--listing-52cd44a49ac762d363e92e08) — Sun, Dec 6 · 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM · Apex Senior Center · checked Oct 24. Chabad of Cary marks the start of Chanukah, the Jewish eight-day festival of lights, with an afternoon festival at the Apex Senior Center in downtown Apex. The Town lists it as a…
- [Raleigh Christmas Parade](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/raleigh-christmas-parade--listing-0691e8580d024003ed1b7b02) — Sat, Nov 21 · 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM · Downtown Raleigh parade route (Hillsborough St. to Fayetteville St.) · Free · checked Oct 24. The 82nd ABC11 Raleigh Christmas Parade, organized by the Greater Raleigh Merchants Association and presented by Shop Local Raleigh, bills itself as the largest Christmas parade…
- [The Nutcracker — Carolina Ballet](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/the-nutcracker-carolina-ballet--listing-a867827f02ea59c598ee1562) — Thu, Dec 10 (+12 more dates) · 7:00 PM · Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts · Paid · checked Oct 24. Carolina Ballet's holiday production of The Nutcracker, presented by PNC Bank, plays Raleigh Memorial Auditorium for two weeks before Christmas. The ballet follows Clara's…
- [Fall Holidays Around the World: K-5th Adventures — East Regional Library, Knightdale](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/fall-holidays-around-the-world-k-5th-adventures-east-regional-library--listing-d6d64a5fdbde78dbd6434e11) — Tue, Nov 17 (+1 more date) · 4:30 PM – 5:15 PM · East Regional Library, Knightdale · Free · checked Oct 24. Elementary-age kids 'travel the globe' at East Regional Library in Knightdale, learning about fall celebrations in different countries and then designing their own festive…
- [Cirque Holiday Pops — NC Symphony](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/cirque-holiday-pops-nc-symphony--listing-1fe60122d93b6d448fec6b36) — Wed, Nov 25 (+2 more dates) · 4:00 PM · Meymandi Concert Hall, Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts · Paid · checked Oct 24. The North Carolina Symphony opens the holiday season over Thanksgiving weekend with an all-new Cirque Holiday Pops: Cirque de la Symphonie acrobats perform high-flying routines…

## More for families

- [This weekend in Raleigh](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/this-weekend) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/this-weekend.md)
- [Things to do with kids in Raleigh](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/raleigh.md)