REVIEW: The Autumn Glow Festival Illuminates Mabee Farm with a Stunning Display of Chinese Culture
Through 11/02 @ Mabee Farm, Rotterdam
“Taking in such a valiant display of artistry in the open air was nothing short of breathtaking…”
Stepping into Mabee Farm for the first time, the entrance decorated in a vast display of pink and purple lanterns, was like stepping into a fantasy world. What lay before us was a field of vibrant lights inspired by Chinese culture, a display of artistry honoring nature through creations of flowers, animals, and much more.
My kids – ages 3 and 8 – both emitted audible oohs at their first sight of the displays, particularly excited by each new group of animals they spotted. It was as if the Autumn Glow Festival created its very own, illuminated zoo where attendees could fawn over the animals from up close and personal. From pandas to giraffes to elephants to flamingos, the festival seemed to have a favorite animal for everyone. The pandas were particularly whimsical, each one displayed with its own unique personality. Kids from all families were having a ball wandering through them, “petting” each one and mimicking their respective poses for photographs.
The centerpiece and statement piece of the whole event was an anthropomorphic tree with eyes that actually blinked at onlookers. It must have been 20 feet tall, and if you stood just right, its head sat just beside the early October moon providing its own light from the sky above. Before reaching the center was an equally impressive crocodile large enough to walk into. It served as the entrance to the main portion of the experience, families gleefully walking into the animal’s mouth just to pop out the other side and begin the heart of the magnificent journey ahead.
The fun didn’t stop with the lanterns, however. At the end of the journey, there was an added bonus catered towards the young ones in the audience. Another field awaited with a spectacular array of Halloween-inspired steampunk-ish lanterns, a handful of glow swings which had kids lined up eagerly awaiting a turn on, and an extra large inflatable bounce pad where dozens of kids were getting their ya-yas out under the almost full moon.
I would argue that it’s more important than ever to immerse ourselves in art and culture. And what a fantastic opportunity Mabee Farm has provided for us to do so—as far as nights out with the family go, this was an A+. We were all smiles walking through the field—taking in such a valiant display of artistry in the open air was nothing short of breathtaking, and I urge everyone to experience it for themselves before it wraps up in a few weeks.
But mine is just one perspective. I thought it would be nice to also get an—*ahem*—younger perspective on the evening, and what better way to do that than to bribe my eight-year-old daughter into an interview with a Pikachu-shaped cotton candy? Here’s how that went:
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What was your favorite part about the Autumn glow Festival?
Probably walking in and seeing all the pretty flowers. I also loved the big, giant jaguar. There was a pretty big tree that was actually moving and blinking and right when you walked in, there was some pretty nice music going on too. You also got to walk through a giant crocodile mouth!
Was that the most impressive thing?
Yeah, probably.
What’s one reason you would tell people to go to the festival?
They did have a little play section - there were swings you could swing on for little kids. There were see-saws, and cotton candy you could get and toys you could get. And I think the floats were pretty cool too! The light up pandas were amazing.
Why was the cotton candy so special?
It was special because they did do certain characters. We got a Pikachu one and they were really big!
If you could take home one of those lantern sculptures, which one would you take home?
Probably the big giant jaguar.
And where would you put that?
Probably in the front yard at the bus stop.
For more information on the Autumn Glow Festival, visit www.autumnglowfestival.com
