The annual Chinese Lantern Festival in Philadelphia is a symbol of summer in the city

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — What began as a novel summer event in 2016 has blossomed into a cherished summer tradition for Philadelphia. Now in its eighth year, the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival in Franklin Square has become a seasonal staple for locals and tourists.

This year, the festival once again transforms the historic square into a luminous wonderland.

More than a thousand handcrafted lanterns depict intricate scenes from enchanted forests to the underwater world. The centerpiece, a 200-foot-long (61-meter-long) dragon, has become an iconic symbol of summer in the city.

“It has definitely become a Philly summer tradition. People really have grown to expect it,” said Amy Needle, president and CEO of Historic Philadelphia, the event organizer. “We have people that come back every year. They know that every year the lanterns are all new.”

The festival’s appeal spans generations and cultures, drawing diverse crowds who come to immerse themselves in the breathing-taking displays.

“Tonight, it was a beautiful night. Just seeing the different people out, just different cultures out, whether you’re Asian, Black, white ... everybody is here to celebrate,” said Tamea Butler, a visitor from Nashville, Tennessee.

Some attendees, like Philadelphia resident Jamie Lenegan, dress in traditional Chinese attire to fully embrace the event.

“We love to dress up because we want to be immersed in the culture. We want to really embrace the moment and just take it all in,” said Lenegan, who visited the festival for the first time with friends.

For others, the visual splendor is the main draw.

“All the colors and the lights and stuff like that, you can’t get enough of it. It’s just vivid and beautiful,” said James Rohmann, who was making a day trip to the city with his son.

Traditionally, the Lantern Festival marks the end of the Lunar New Year period. However, organizers moved the event to the summer to avoid unpredictable winter weather. The Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival runs through Aug. 31.

A child runs through an octopus display at the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)

A display of a yellow lizard is shown as part of the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)

An underwater scene is shown as part of the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)

A child looks at a display at the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)

Visitors walk through a lighted tunnel at the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A 24-year-old man was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of an elderly Thai man whose 2021 killing in San Francisco helped spark a national movement against anti-Asian American violence.

A jury did not find Antoine Watson guilty of murder when it returned a verdict Thursday for the January 2021 attack on 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee. Jurors found Watson guilty on the lesser charges of involuntary manslaughter and assault.

The office of San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins declined to comment, saying that the jury was still empaneled. Jurors will return Jan. 26 to hear arguments on aggravating factors and sentencing will be scheduled once that is completed, the office said in an email.

Vicha Ratanapakdee was out for his usual morning walk in the quiet neighborhood he lived in with his wife, daughter and her family when Watson charged at him and knocked him to the ground. The encounter was captured on a neighbor's security camera. Ratanapakdee died two days later, never regaining consciousness.

His family says he was attacked because of his race, but hate crime charges were not filed and the argument was not raised in trial. Prosecutors have said hate crimes are difficult to prove absent statements by the suspect.

Watson testified on the stand that he was in a haze of confusion and anger at the time of the unprovoked attack, according to KRON-TV. He said he lashed out and didn't know that Ratanapakdee was Asian or elderly.

San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, whose office defended Watson, extended his sympathies to the victim's family and said the defendant is “fully remorseful for his mistake.”

“While this death was a terrible tragedy and has garnered a lot of press attention, the importance of our legal system is that it gives us a chance to look at the facts in a balanced way,” he said in a statement.

Hundreds of people in five other U.S. cities joined in commemorating the anniversary of Ratanapakdee's death in 2022, all of them seeking justice for Asian Americans who have been harassed, assaulted, and even killed in alarming numbers since the start of the pandemic.

Asians in America have long been subject to prejudice and discrimination, but the attacks escalated sharply after the coronavirus first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. More than 10,000 hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were reported to the Stop AAPI Hate coalition from March 2020 through September 2021.

The incidents involved shunning, racist taunting and physical assaults.

FILE - Flowers are left with pictures of 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee during a rally attended by hundreds of people on Jan. 30, 2022, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Janie Har, File)

FILE - Monthanus Ratanapakdee holds a photo of her father, 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, and stands in front of the San Francisco apartment building where he was attacked last year and later died of his injuries, on Jan. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Terry Chea, File)