Experience the Magic: Lantern Festival at the Botanical Garden

Until May 9th, the Central Botanical Garden hosts the enchanting Lantern Festival. Discover why this magical event is a must-visit, especially for families with children.

Magical Lanterns Cultivate an Appreciation for Beauty

Encounter giant flowers, radiant trees, mythical creatures, various animals, ships, carriages, and angels. Over 20 compositions, featuring more than 230 light art objects, are scattered throughout a small section of the Botanical Garden.

A renowned Belarusian jeweler once said that the son of a Belarusian architect has fewer opportunities to develop good taste than the son of an Italian plumber. This is because Italy is filled with diverse, beautiful buildings, while Belarus has more uniformity. This insight applies not only to architecture but to our surroundings in general.

Our eyes crave beauty after a long, gray autumn, winter, and spring. Children see the same, not always beautiful, routes daily. We don’t visit museums as often as we should. Therefore, we must seize the opportunity to show our children beauty while we can. Finding a similar experience in the near future will be impossible.

Walking among these lanterns is a pleasure. The distances between art objects are short, so neither you nor your child will tire. You’ll both fully enjoy the diverse beauty on display.

Audio Guide Entertains and Educates

While strolling among the illuminated figures, we noticed that many visitors missed a pleasant and important bonus—the audio guide—and lost at least a third of the enjoyment.

Scan the QR code and listen to the story of at least one “exhibit,” and you won’t be able to stop. These are not boring narratives but engaging audio fairy tales. A pleasant voice, musical accompaniment, and captivating plots make you ponder goodness and evil, politeness, and mutual support.

Conveniently, you can listen to these fairy tales at home. In our case, the child refused to listen during the walk but was captivated by them on the way home.

Fire Show Dazzles

From Friday to Sunday, the program includes a fire show. Don’t miss it—it impresses both adults and children. Arrive a little early to secure a good spot.

We arrived at the beginning and ended up in the “gallery.” Several artists were on stilts, so we saw almost everything. But “almost everything” is not “everything.” Especially since the show is so captivating that you don’t want to miss anything.

Walking Together Strengthens Bonds

At home, there are chores, lessons, and numerous concerns. But when you simply walk among beautiful lanterns with pleasant music, examining figures and chatting with your child, the quality of your interaction is entirely different.

Both the child and the adult open up. The exhibits remind adults of childhood stories about bears, ships, and carriages. The child notices things the parent completely overlooks. Listening to their thoughts, you better understand both them and the world, which is indeed magical.