We Build the LEGO Trotting Lantern, a 2025 Lunar New Year Celebration

LEGO celebrates Lunar New Year annually with themed sets. 2021's (Year of the Ox) featured a Spring Festival garden scene, while 2024's (Year of the Dragon) offered the LEGO Auspicious Dragon, a bronze statue replica. 2025, the Year of the Snake, brings three new sets: a Lucky Cat, a Good Fortune set featuring Chinese iconography (decorative fan, calligraphy set, and gold ingots), and a stunning replica of a traditional trotting lantern—the focus of this review.

LEGO Spring Festival Trotting Lantern

$129.95 at Amazon
$129.99 at LEGO Store

This trotting lantern, more than just a pretty face, is a layered masterpiece. The intricate detailing is extravagant; every inch boasts decorative elements—from hanging red lanterns to gold-accented borders and cloud-and-rock-themed walls.

Building the lantern is a delightful layering process. You start with the core structure, then add increasingly detailed layers, culminating in a breathtaking final product. This layered approach evokes the joy of the now-retired LEGO Carousel, keeping you guessing what elaborate detail awaits next.

Historically, trotting lanterns (dating back to the Han Dynasty) used oil lamps to project silhouettes via rotating paper cutouts. The LEGO version cleverly replicates this with a light brick and rotating image, though the projected image is less effective than advertised. The more impressive feature is the upper tier, which opens to reveal three charming miniature scenes: a dumpling stall, a decorations stall, and a shadow puppet theater. These hidden dioramas add an element of surprise and visual delight.

The set includes five minifigures (one with a snake costume), dumplings, a red envelope, a shadow puppet, and chopsticks. While the rotating light feature may not fully justify the price, the aesthetic beauty and intricately detailed hidden scenes make this a stunning Lunar New Year celebration. Despite its 9+ age rating, the complexity suggests it's more suitable for older builders.

For more LEGO recommendations, explore our best LEGO sets, best Marvel LEGO sets, and most expensive LEGO sets lists.

LEGO Trotting Lantern, Set #80116, retails for $129.99 (1295 pieces) and is available now at Amazon and the LEGO Store.