A spark of light in the darkness is the resounding theme of this year’s holiday season, and this new-in-2020 event offers just that. It’s also a familiar throwback to a popular event first hosted here five years ago, the Chinese Lantern Festival in Riverfront Park. Northwest Winterfest features a collection of fabric-covered lanterns inside the Mirabeau Park Hotel, arranged in a way to allow for proper social distancing. Visitors encounter a fearsome dragon, playful pandas and, available at auction, a collection of holiday trees hand painted by local multicultural groups. Families can also partake in a scavenger hunt to find Rudolph and seven of his reindeer friends. This new event is intended to become another lasting local tradition, with plans to return in 2021 to Mirabeau Meadows Park, where organizers had originally envisioned hosting the bright and festive display. For details, visit northwestwinterfest.com.
