During the day, you can enjoy the animals, but at night, lanterns come to life and light your way through the zoo.

These Aren't Your Mama's Lanterns

When you think of lanterns, the first thing that comes to mind may be something along the lines of a sky lantern.  Sky lanterns are those paper lanterns you can purchase that you light on fire, and the heat makes them rise into the sky.  While they look cool, they can actually pose a fire hazard to the environment and are discouraged by the National Parks Service.  Sky lanterns aside, there are many types of lanterns, but I can bet you've never seen lanterns like the ones coming to one Indiana zoo before!

A Facebook Tease

Recently, the Potawatomi Zoo shared a video of a gigantic giraffe lantern being pieced together at the zoo, and in the caption of the video, they shared the news that soon they will be hosting a really cool event, Zoo Luminate. The caption for the video reads:

Incredible Works of Illuminated Art

Zoo Luminate is an event taking place at the Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend, Indiana.  While South Bend may be a bit of a drive from the Tri-State, the good news is this event is taking place from March 19th through May 25th, so there is plenty of time to plan a trip! Now, these lanterns aren't just your standard paper lanterns; these are incredible, giant works of art.

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Tianyu Arts and Culture is the company behind the lanterns, and they pride themselves on hosting Chinese lantern festivals across the United States.  They have a team of incredibly talented artisans who design, create, and build these intricate lantern displays.

Below is a video from Tianyu Arts and Culture, and while these may not be the exact lanterns you will see at Zoo Luminate this spring, it shows the kind of work they do, and is a taste of what you could see in person at the Potawatomi Zoo!