In Sokolniki Park in Moscow, it feels like Chinese New Year has arrived early.

Featuring over 40 installations, the Festival of Magic Chinese Lanterns kicked off late last month and will run till Feb 23 next year. The inspiration for the festival is the Chinese Lantern Festival, which marks the final day of traditional Chinese New Year celebrations.

The luminous figures, some more than 8m high, are located on 8ha of the park. For the festival in Moscow, Russian themes were specially incorporated into the lantern designs, including giant nesting dolls and Russian fairy tale characters such as Father Frost and the Snow Maiden.

Besides the giant lanterns, visitors also have the chance to watch live performances by Chinese artists and get acquainted with Chinese cuisine at the event.