China Lights returns to Boerner Botanical Gardens for a seventh year

After a month of construction, Tianyu Arts & Culture’s traveling China Lights exhibit will return to Boerner Botanical Gardens at Whitnall Park in Hales Corners for a seventh year starting this weekend. The event will be held every Tuesday – Sunday from Friday, Sept. 13 to Sunday, Oct. 27.

Tianyu Arts & Culture, a subsidiary of Sichuan Tianyu Culture Communication Company, first introduced China Lights to Milwaukee County in 2016 and continued through 2019. After a two-year-long hiatus from 2020 to 2022 due to the pandemic, the China Lights event returned to Whitnall Park and is now contracted to come back each year through 2026.

“On average, about 100,000 people come (to China Lights at Whitnall Park) every year but last year we had 110,000,” said Huiyan Liu, Tianyu Arts & Culture event manager. “More than half of the people who come are returning customers who come here year after year.”

This year, Tianyu is celebrating its theme, “Year of the Dragon” with over 40 light displays, most of which are on display for the first time.

One of the largest displays called “Palace of Heaven” will debut for the first time in the United States amidst the other new displays at the event, said Liu.

“Our contract with Tianyu is a ticket-sales model so we get a percentage of sales from the tickets,” said Andrea Wallace, assistant director of recreation and business services for Milwaukee County Parks. “Our food and beverage department in the Parks sells all the beverages and then we contract out with local food vendors that we then get a commission from.”

While Tianyu Arts & Culture is the primary promoter for China Lights, several local and national businesses like Versiti Blood Center, Gruber Law Offices, We Energies and Festival Foods sponsor collections and individual light displays. Next to each light display, signage indicates which local company sponsored the build along with a short description of the significance of the pieces.

In addition to the light displays, Tianyu has scheduled three performances each night from local artists and contracted artists who travel with the program. Tickets can be purchased from one of three hour-and-a-half long time slots in which those performances will take place.

Each year, this event generates $500,000 in revenue for Milwaukee County Parks. As attendance grows, the success of the event and revenue grows with it, said Wallace.