Malaga's new Chinese festival of light and lanterns is a hit on opening night: 'It's worth it'

Malaga's latest lights festival, based around the popular Chinese lanterns, kicked off on Saturday 30 November, transforming part of Malaga's Parque del Oeste into a festive Chinese scene. A long queue had formed just before the first show was scheduled at 8pm.

The lantern festival is new this year, in addition to the lights in the city centre and in the botanical gardens. Until 15 February, you can immerse yourself in a world that oscillates between images and prints reminiscent of the most traditional China and others that are more reminiscent of the neo-modern world.

According to official sources, more than a thousand tickets were sold for the opening show on Saturday. Most of those who attended had bought them online, although it is also possible to buy tickets at the box office. There are a total of 600 handmade lanterns, more than 4,000 points of light and almost 50 figures of mushrooms, dragons, panda bears, butterflies, and even a couple of Spanish dancers.

The new show is suitable for all audiences, but it was clear from the onset that it will be, above all, very popular for families with small children. It was the latter who enjoyed it the most. At times, you could see how some of them didn't quite know where to turn in the face of so much stimulation.

The light festival has however been marred by controversy with local residents against the public space being occupied for a private event for which visitors will be charged entrance fees. They protested again on Saturday as visitors entered the site.

"Everyone is free to chose whether to come or not. I don't think it's right that we were insulted when we came in, to be honest," Juan Rubio, a resident of Puerto de la Torre, told SUR. He visited with his two children, five and eight years old. "They are enjoying it very much," he said. "It is better than I expected. It's worth it," he added.

The festival is not just about lights. Once inside and at the end of the tour, you reach an area with a large stage. There, you can see traditional Chinese dances and also some people dancing to Korean pop music (K-pop). There are also several food and drink stalls.

There was a diverse group of people at the festival on Saturday, with English and Ukrainian among some of the languages heard. A group of young British women told SUR they had found out about the festival through social media.

The lights in the Parque del Oeste will not switched off at the end of the Christmas period in a bid to coincide the festival with the Chinese New Year, where 2025 will be the year of the snake.