Wednesday 9 December 2015

Adelaide Moon Lantern Festival 2015

Moon Lantern Festival logo with date Sunday 27 Sep 4-8:30 p.m.In October, I posted a Quick WIP Round of my activities as spring shaped up to be a hectic season. With barely time to pick up a crochet hook, it's been slow going on my projects; however, the good news is that my hospital treatments seem to be working and it has been a joy to be able to increase my activity levels and enjoy some outings.


One of those was the Moon Lantern Festival at Elder Park in Adelaide (part of the OzAsia Festival).  The night was so balmy and the entire town turned out to participate. This is where I enjoyed a performance by Indonesian music group SambaSunda as the sun set over the River Torrens.

Adelaide's Elder Park Rotunda viewed from the Torrens River side.  Inside the rotunda is a 7 piece band and the lead singer is dancing and singing on the lawn in front of the rotunda which is on the right hand side in this photograph.
SambaSunda performing at Elder Park's famous rotunda.
Here are some of my photos but there would be many more photos (taken by others) elsewhere online. Everyone was there (I'm not joking) and lots of people were taking photos with their smart phones. 
 
Just search for 'OzAsia' 'Adelaide Moon Lantern Festival' 'Elder Park' or '#moonlanternfestival'  Enjoy!

Crowds enjoy SambaSunda with the city skyline in the background.
Getting into the festival spirit.
Three of the lanterns for the procession.


More lanterns as the audience waits in anticipation.


It was a picnic atmosphere with many families.
Crowds are building across the river too.
You can see the Memorial Drive tennis centre and
The Adelaide Oval with its video screens
.
The focus is on the river and the footbridge from whence fireworks launch.
A giant lotus blossom lantern is a centrepiece on the river.

Crowds grab every vantage point, including the plaza and balconies
of the Adelaide Festival Centre.

Looking back from the Festival Centre, we could see that the park was jam-packed and more people were still arriving!
A photo of the official programme's map.
A map of the site (from the official program):
inadequate for wheelchair users because there were steps on one of the paths which were not included on the map
–a mere detail to some but essential for anyone with mobility issues (or prams). I was not impressed. 
With so many people it was difficult to navigate
because we couldn't see far in front of us.
A list of the Entertainment Program for the 2015 Moon Lantern Festival. Please email jodiebodiecrochets@gmail.com if you would like the details in a text format.
The OzAsia Festival is one of the more popular festivals of South Australia
("The Festival State")
A list of participants in the Moon Lantern Parade. Please email jodiebodiecrochets@gmail.com if you would like the details in a text format.
Moon Lantern Parade details.
The parade was forced to take a different route than planned
because there were too many people!
The OzAsia Festival was so popular in 2015 that organisers totally underestimated the projected attendance.

I had been in the city that day and thought it would be good to go down and have a look and maybe sample some different Asian dishes for dinner but it seems everyone else had the same idea!

Consequently, many of the food vendors had sold out before the sun had even set!  The density of the crowd was getting too much to manouevre a wheelchair or see much of the festival so in the interests of safety and a good feed, I decided to leave early for home and watch the rest of the festivities on the television! 

I was very tired from being out most of the day so it was a relief to leave the throng and I was satisfied that I managed to get out and about to enjoy what I could of the festivities.

There are some spectacular night photos to be found online so do have a look!


Simon McMahon has posted a great little video which captures the atmosphere perfectly and will give you a taste of what the OzAsia Festival is all about.

On photo-sharing site SmugMug, member Tony has posted a slideshow with different views of the OzAsia Festival including the nightlife in the Night Noodle Market on the Festival Centre Plaza and some views of the musicians including a great shot of SambaSunda. 



Thank you for visiting Lupey Loops and being patient with me during a longer wait than usual between posts.  

I do enjoy visitors and catching up with you so always feel free to leave your thoughts and questions in the comments box below. I am especially keen to know about your own festival experiences.

Stay safe, have fun!



Links

McMahon, Simon, "Moon Lantern Festival", video (3'13"), Simon McMahon blog, 4 October 2015: http://www.simonmcmahon.com/video/moon-lantern-festival/

SambaSunda: http://www.kapa-productions.com/sambasunda/

Tony-petelee, "OzAsia Fest 2015 - petelee", slideshow, Smugmug: https://petelee.smugmug.com/Tony/OzAsia-Fest-2015/i-Nx5FCJj


 

Related Posts on Lupey Loops


"A Quick WIP Round", 22 October 2015: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2015/10/a-quick-wip-round.html

"Hooks, Needles & Nurses!", 23 July 2015: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2015/07/hooks-needles-nurses.html

"Lost without Lists", 2 September 2015: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/lost-without-lists.html 

 

2 comments:

  1. The lanterns are incredible aren't they!!! What a really fun day out! xx

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    Replies
    1. It is always nice to get out and about. I love the way Adelaideans embrace arts, culture, good food and family lifestyles. The culture in Adelaide is unique.

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