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umadi, 45, took alternate pictures of his sons standing next to lanterns in the shape of mythical animals of the Chinese zodiac during the opening of the first ever Jakarta Lantern Festival in Lapangan Banteng Park in Central Jakarta on Friday evening.

'€œI saw a poster for this event on my way to work this morning and thought that it would be a unique experience for my family,'€ he said.

Jumadi said he had brought his family because his children had never seen lanterns before. He had only expected to see some traditional Chinese lanterns. However, when he saw the spectacular displays of gigantic lanterns in the field, he bared his two thumbs, enthusing that the festival was beyond his expectations.

 '€œI thought there would only be the small round lanterns that I usually see in Chinese temples. However, there are giant lanterns in many shapes and sizes at this festival,'€ he said, adding that his sons and wife could not stop taking pictures in front of the lanterns.

Jumadi'€™s admiration for the grandeur of the lanterns seemed to be shared by the many other festival-goers who could not resist pointing their cameras or smartphones at the beautiful lanterns in the shape of dragons, fruit and the Taj Mahal. Some visitors who had come prepared with selfie sticks were seen busily snapping group photos, while others enlisted the help of passing strangers.

Held by the Jakarta Tourism Agency, the Jakarta Lantern Festival boasts more than 2,800 lanterns comprising 2,700 hanging lanterns, 105 decorated lanterns in the form of animals, fruits and flowers, and 46 giant lanterns in a range of shapes.

The three-day festival, due to conclude on Sunday, is held from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Visitors are also treated to music and dance performances.

The festival also attracted some of the capital'€™s photography clubs. Vina Rika, 24, a member of a photography club, said she was fascinated by the various shapes and sizes of the lanterns.

'€œMany of our members are here. It'€™s a great opportunity for photo-hunting,'€ she said, adding that her normal photo-haunt was the historic Kota Tua in West Jakarta.

Tourism Agency head Arie Budiman said that the event was part of efforts to bring Jakarta to a par with other big international cities that regularly held cultural events and festivals. Other large cities including Seoul, Hong Kong and Auckland also have lantern festivals, usually held at the end of summer.

'€œWe want to demonstrate the creativity of both local and foreign lantern craftsmen,'€ Arie said, adding that dozens of craftsmen from Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Malang in East Java and China were taking part in the event.

He said the agency hoped local craftsmen could learn from their Chinese fellows, who had a long history of lantern-making.

Arie said his agency initially scheduled the Rp 3 billion (US$237,000)-event in August, but the tender process caused the schedule to be delayed until now.

'€œIf the festival gets a good response, we will consider holding the same event next year,'€ he said, adding that his agency had proposed Rp 50 billion for its festival programs in the 2015 city budget.