Boston lights at Franklin Park Zoo
By Julz Levesque | Arts & Culture Editor
The Boston Lights are back this year at the Franklin Park Zoo. I spent this past Saturday in the rainy city with my mom, my brother, and some family friends with tickets purchased a month before in our possessions. I had no idea what to expect. This might be too internet niche but remember that unlicensed Willy Wonka event that happened in Glasgow, Scotland at the beginning of the year? If you have not heard of this, then you should take a look at the Wikipedia page to get a sense of where my expectations were. Needless to say, when I was approaching the unfortunately rained-in event I was still utterly blown away.
As we walked up to the zoo gates my eyes were met with an otherworldly glow as a tree in the middle of the cold concrete was adorned with mechanical flowers that shined and moved as they bloomed. Wisteria in lush colors hung from the branches and on either side of the small square, more giant flowers and butterflies glimmered. The atmosphere changed around me as I took it all in. People stopped to take pictures, pointing and laughing. Children giggled and ran around. Groups posed with each other, and cameras flashed. People’s faces lit up in excitement. If this was the sight outside of the gate what awaited us inside? What once was the cold and bleak evening on the Boston streets melted away as soon as I stood in the warm glow of those lights. One minute, three minutes, five, then ten minutes passed as I admired the sight before me. I reached for my film camera, fastened in my bag and snapped pictures in wonder. I made my way under the tree and stared up in awe. What was inside the gates?
The black metal gates were the equivalent of the brick wall of Diagon Alley. An entirely new world existed beyond the employees who were scanning our barcodes with machines that kept failing… “Can you scroll up on your phone, the barcode won’t scan.. Oh. Yup, yes you’re good to go”. Finally, we made it in and started our journey in a garden of lights. More flowers, butterflies, grasshoppers, vines, and blooms of all colors before descending deeper into the zoo and into a whale’s mouth. Suddenly we were underwater and sea creatures of all kinds inhabited the space in a dazzling show. A 115-foot octopus, sea turtles, shrimp, lanternfish, whales, coral reefs, sea butterflies, hermit crabs… an erupting volcano? Yes, An erupting volcano with smoke and light-up lava.
We kept walking and it was getting darker and my hair was getting more and more drenched. To think surely I could’ve brought an umbrella but do I ever think that far into the future? I wondered if the place had ponchos for sale. Onward from the ocean and into India. Lotus flowers galore, palaces, pottery, elephants, monkeys, rhinos… Where could I find an umbrella? More pictures on the film camera. My lens was wet. Hopefully, my pictures don’t come out blurry. The path went on into China. Lanterns were aglow and dragons snaked up from the ground. Chinese mythology and animals from the zodiac guided us through the night. A tunnel of lanterns, and we were back in a garden full of butterflies. I saw people gathered around and to my surprise, I found a colossal green butterfly just below the bridge we all stood on. Onward and we were met by… Thank god, a café.
I hurried in and was met with the warm air. I fixed myself up in the bathroom mirror and tapped my face with paper towels before coming out to see that the zoo did have ponchos for sale for a whopping five dollars. I rolled my eyes as I sat down at a table and reflected on my night as I spoke in adoration of the show with my company and ate far too overpriced zoo café food. It was truly a majestic night despite the rain.
The Boston Lights: A Lantern Experience event goes until November 3rd. College students receive discounts on their tickets and the zoo has much more to offer such as a Chinese Classical Dance as a nightly performance, a scavenger hunt, and interactive displays throughout the show. The artistic light displays are created by Tianyu Arts & Culture, Inc. The Zoo’s website includes an insight into the hard work behind these events, “Artisans and skilled professionals work as a team to design full-scale displays, sew and glue colorful fabrics, hand-paint intricate details on each lantern, model and assemble steel frames for each lantern’s structure, install thousands of LED light bulbs, and more. You can grab your tickets at https://www.zoonewengland.org/engage/boston-lights/. I highly recommend this out-of-world experience.
