Now that summer has come and gone, so too do our outdoor festivals, with Nuit Blanche and the Chinese Lantern Festival bringing up the rear. I checked out the Lantern Fest's elaborate creations at Ontario Place this week, and with cooler weather on its way in over the coming week and the festival coming to an end next weekend, now's your chance to do so as well.

Some of the more elaborate landscapes created in lantern form were truly outstanding, casting a delightful coloured light over visitors as they passed by. All the lanterns were beautifully crafted, and save for the totally unnecessary (and borderline inappropriate) Rogers karaoke booth smack dab in the middle of the festival grounds, the festival overall was a great way to spend an evening.

Keep on reading for a whole assortment of photos from the festival.

As you can see in the some of the photos though, giant illuminated lanterns had the unfortunate side-effect of being giant beacons for insects of all kinds.

The Chinese Lantern Festival runs until next weekend, October 7th from Thursday to Sunday at Ontario Place. Admission is a (slightly overpriced) $25 for adults, $20 for children 4-12 and seniors, and free for children under 4.