Bright Nights Festival Brings Glowing Lantern Sculptures to Four Mile Historic Park

For the next two months, Four Mile Historic Park will glow with the light of a thousand-year-old practice.

In collaboration with China-based Tianyu Arts and Culture Inc., Four Mile's inaugural Bright Nights Festival presents artisan paper lantern sculptures for onlookers to admire and interact with, now through October 1. Inspired by the traditional lantern festivals that ring in the Chinese New Year, Bright Nights' large sculptural lanterns take the form of everything from Chinese dragons to ornate piranhas and historic depictions of terracotta warriors.

“The cultural significance of Chinese lanterns has a home close to 1,000 years in China," says Rico Zheng, a spokesperson for Tianyu, which installed the lanterns. “This is characteristic of Chinese culture, so we wanted to share the beautiful lanterns and stories behind those lanterns to people across the world.”

Authenticity is central to the experience, as Tianyu built most of Bright Nights' lanterns on the other side of the world. Headquartered in Zigong, which lies in the southwestern province of Sichuan, Tianyu designs the lanterns according to a theme, often taking inspiration from the natural world, and assembles them before breaking down the works and shipping them to their destination.

Denver’s wide array of striking, luminescent animals are tied together by themes of the ocean and farming, according to Zheng. He is most excited for visitors to see the lantern sculpture depicting a towering oceanic wall, brimming with illuminated fish and other creatures of the sea.

Moving past the ocean-inspired section, there is a parcel of farm-related lanterns, including a beehive, followed by a traditional Chinese section, with the terracotta warrior and iconic dragon. Finally, there is an interactive section of the park, where viewers can immerse themselves in the light. The entire installation will cover twelve acres of the park.

This year’s Bright Nights Festival is just the beginning of a five-year contract between Four Mile Historic Park and Tianyu Arts and Culture. The contract brings together two separate histories in a joint celebration of diverse cultures.

Tianyu has approximately 200 employees total, delivering 86 events to 39 cities in eight years of operation. Around thirty of Tianyu’s artisans and managers made the trip to Denver for Bright Nights, ensuring that the shipments of wire, light, paper and silk were assembled properly.

Four Mile Historic Park, operating as a nonprofit organization, is home to the preserved Indigenous and migratory histories of the Old West surrounding the iconic, circa 1859 Four Mile House, the oldest building in Denver.

Zheng hopes that the festival will bring attention to the long-practiced art of Chinese lanterns and their cultural significance, but most of all, his wish is that attendees will find joy and delight in their beauty, and enjoy seeing the storied Four Mile Historic Park begin to glow under the setting sun.

“During the daytime, it is still common to come and enjoy the lanterns,” Zheng says. “But I would recommend to come during the nighttime, when the lanterns are on and you can see the difference between a day and a night — it's significant.”

Bright Nights Festival, now through October 1 at Four Mile Historic Park, 715 South Forest Street. For more information, visit the park's website.