DDM Entertainment & Events of Ontario, Canada has announced its partnership with Peanuts Worldwide to bring the popular Peanuts characters by Charles M. Schulz to life in high quality Chinese lantern festivals. The agreement allows DDM to mount Peanuts-branded lantern festivals in a number of regions including the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, North America and Europe.
Lantern festivals use illuminated, custom silk lanterns and floats in any number of shapes and sizes, inspired by Chinese lanterns. Such festivals have become very popular in recent years at a wide range of venues that cater to family audiences and have outdoor space – such as botanical gardens, theme parks and zoos – around the world. At relatively little expense, a lantern festival can transform a setting, supporting the extension of operating hours and seasons, drawing new audiences, generating revenue and setting a venue apart from its competition while providing a playful and appealing brand showcase.
“As we continue to expand our location based entertainment experience throughout the world, we are excited to partner with DDM to bring Peanuts to new audiences through the lantern festivals,’ said Roz Nowicki, Managing Director, Peanuts Worldwide. “It’s just another great way to keep Peanuts top of mind and in the pop culture zeitgeist.”
DDM and its design/manufacturing partner, Zigong Lantern Culture Industry Group, have enjoyed recent successes in producing Lantern Festivals around the world. Most recent projects include the Festival of Light at Longleat Safari in the United Kingdom and Lumination at Gilroy Gardens in Gilroy, CA.
“Festivals of this size and grandeur attract all generations and enhance visitor experience with magnificent displays, and impressive artistic craftsmanship,” said DDM Entertainment Partner, Glenn Dobbin. “We are excited to partner with Peanuts, to couple their family-friendly brand beloved by all generations with the stunning artistry our team brings in creating lantern displays.”
Peanuts Worldwide announced its plans to expand its location based entertainment initiatives in collaboration with Bay Laurel Advisors in 2016. The industry response was immediate and diverse, with inquiries coming from owner-operators, design firms and project managers around the globe. The team was very busy in back-to-back meetings in Orlando during the IAAPA Attractions Expo last November and the dialog has continued since then, with more alliances and announcements in development.
“We have been extremely pleased to see the response from the Location Based Entertainment community to the opportunities in themed entertainment with such a beloved set of characters and their stories, and it is gratifying to continue to bring these characters to life in our world of LBE,” said George Wade, President of Bay Laurel Advisors.
The first DDM Peanuts themed Lantern Festival project is in negotiation with announcements expected soon.