Lantern Festivals (灯会) · 25 events · 17 provinces
Lit displays over the fifteen days after New Year, from old paper craft in the southern towns to whole parks wired up in the cities.
25 of them here, grouped by region. The last column gives the months each one falls in, then the lunar date where there is one. 1 are community rites rather than public events. See all five kinds, or the background on festivals.
2 events
North China (华北)
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Longqing Gorge Ice Lantern Festival (北京龙庆峡冰灯艺术节)Beijing’s main winter ice display, in the Longqing gorge: ice sculpture and ice lanterns through the cold months.Ticketed | Beijing | Jan to Feb · (冬季) |
| Yangliuqing Lantern Festival (天津杨柳青灯会)The lantern festival in Yangliuqing old town, on the New Year woodblock print tradition the town is known for. Fourteenth to sixteenth of the first month.Free | Tianjin | Feb to Mar · lunar days 14 to 16 (正月十四至十六) |
4 events
Northeast China (东北)
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Central Street Lantern Display (哈尔滨中央大街元宵灯展)The lantern display along Harbin’s Central Street around the fifteenth, with ice sculpture set against the European frontages.Free | Harbin, Heilongjiang | Feb to Mar · lunar day 15 (正月十五前后) |
| Sculpture Park Lantern Festival (长春雕塑公园灯会)The winter lantern festival at Changchun’s world sculpture park, where the lighting is worked around the sculpture collection.Ticketed | Changchun, Jilin | Jan to Feb · (冬季至元宵) |
| Labour Park Lantern Festival (大连劳动公园灯会)The New Year lantern festival in Labour Park, Dalian, in the traditional lantern form, from the first to the fifteenth.Ticketed | Dalian, Liaoning | Jan to Mar · lunar day 1 to 15 (正月初一至十五) |
| Qipan Mountain Lantern Festival (沈阳棋盘山灯会)Shenyang’s winter display in the Qipanshan scenic area, combining snow and ice work with coloured lanterns. Winter through to the lantern festival.Ticketed | Shenyang, Liaoning | Jan to Feb · (冬季至元宵) |
9 events
East China (华东)
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Xiamen Lantern Festival (厦门元宵灯会)Xiamen’s lantern festival on the fifteenth of the first month, in the Minnan lantern idiom, usually held in the garden expo park or a main city park.Free | Xiamen, Fujian | Feb to Mar · lunar day 15 (正月十五) |
| Jinji Lake Lantern Festival (苏州金鸡湖灯会)The lantern festival on Jinji Lake in the Suzhou industrial park, worked as contemporary light art rather than traditional lantern-making.Free | Suzhou, Jiangsu | Feb to Mar · lunar day 15 (正月十五前后) |
| Plum Garden Lantern Festival (无锡梅园灯会)The New Year lanterns at Meiyuan, Wuxi, set among the plum trees as they come into flower.Ticketed | Wuxi, Jiangsu | Jan to Mar · lunar day 1 to 15 (正月初一至十五) |
| Qinhuai Lantern Festival (秦淮灯会)Nanjing’s lantern festival, national intangible heritage, strung along the Qinhuai river with the Confucius temple at its centre. The core halls are ticketed and the riverside is free.Partly ticketed · The core areas, including the Dacheng Hall, are ticketed; the Qinhuai riverside is free. | Nanjing, Jiangsu | Jan to Mar · lunar day 1 to 15 (正月初一至十五) |
| Slender West Lake Lantern Festival (扬州瘦西湖灯会)The New Year lantern festival at Slender West Lake, with traditional lanterns set through the garden and along the water.Ticketed | Yangzhou, Jiangsu | Jan to Mar · lunar day 1 to 15 (正月初一至十五) |
| Baotu Spring Lantern Festival (济南趵突泉灯会)The lantern festival in Baotuquan park, Jinan, where the lanterns are set around the springs the city is named for.Ticketed | Jinan, Shandong | Jan to Mar · lunar day 1 to 15 (正月初一至十五) |
| Yuyuan Lantern Festival (豫园灯会)The lantern festival at Yu Garden, in the Jiangnan garden-lantern idiom. Numbers are capped at peak, so booking or a ticket is needed then; parts stay free on quieter days.Partly ticketed · Partly open · Numbers are capped at peak times, when booking or a ticket is required. On quieter days parts are free to enter. | Shanghai | Jan to Mar · lunar day 1 to 15 (正月初一至十五) |
| Haishu Lantern Festival (宁波海曙灯会)Ningbo’s lantern festival around Tianyi Pavilion and Moon Lake, fourteenth to sixteenth of the first month, in the traditional form.Free | Ningbo, Zhejiang | Feb to Mar · lunar days 14 to 16 (正月十四至十六) |
| Songcheng Lantern Festival (杭州宋城灯会)The New Year lanterns at Songcheng, on the Song theme the park runs on, with staged performance alongside.Ticketed | Hangzhou, Zhejiang | Jan to Mar · lunar day 1 to 15 (正月初一至十五) |
3 events
Central China (华中)
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Green Expo Garden Lantern Festival (郑州绿博园灯会)The New Year lantern festival in Zhengzhou’s Green Expo Garden, where the lantern groups are set into the landscaped grounds.Ticketed | Zhengzhou, Henan | Jan to Mar · lunar day 1 to 16 (正月初一至十六) |
| Donghu Lantern Festival (武汉东湖灯会)The New Year lantern festival in the East Lake scenic area, with large lantern groups and lighting set against the water.Ticketed | Wuhan, Hubei | Jan to Mar · lunar day 1 to 15 (正月初一至十五) |
| Juzizhou Lantern Festival (长沙橘子洲灯会)The New Year lanterns on Orange Isle, using the Xiang river at night as the setting for the large lantern groups.Partly ticketed | Changsha, Hunan | Jan to Mar · lunar day 1 to 15 (正月初一至十五) |
3 events
South China (华南)
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Cultural Park Spring Flower Lantern Show (广州文化公园迎春花会)Guangzhou’s spring flower fair in Cultural Park, where the lanterns are set into the garden planting. The lantern nights run to the fifteenth.Free | Guangzhou, Guangdong | Jan to Mar · lunar day 30 to 15 (除夕至正月十五) |
| Foshan Autumn Lantern Parade (佛山秋色灯会)Foshan’s autumn procession, registered national intangible heritage: lanterns, floats and folk performance around the equinox. The route is open to watch, but marching in it requires membership of a local association.a community rite, not a show · Free · Partly open · The route is open to watch from. Marching in the parade requires membership of a local association. | Foshan, Guangdong | Sep to Oct · set by the lunar calendar (秋分前后) |
| OCT Harbour Lantern Festival (深圳欢乐海岸灯会)The New Year lantern display at OCT Harbour, Shenzhen, worked as contemporary light art against the waterfront.Partly ticketed | Shenzhen, Guangdong | Jan to Mar · lunar day 1 to 15 (正月初一至十五) |
3 events
Southwest China (西南)
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Hechuan Lantern Festival (重庆合川灯会)The New Year lantern display at Hechuan, set where three rivers meet, from the first to the fifteenth of the lunar year.Ticketed | Chongqing | Jan to Mar · lunar day 1 to 15 (正月初一至十五) |
| Jinsha Sun Festival (成都金沙太阳节)The New Year programme at the Jinsha site museum, built on the ancient Shu material the site produced, with lanterns and events over the first fifteen days.Ticketed | Chengdu, Sichuan | Jan to Mar · lunar day 1 to 15 (正月初一至十五) |
| Zigong Lantern Festival (自贡灯会)Listed as the largest lantern festival in China and registered national intangible heritage, built on the scale of the lantern group rather than the single lamp. Runs from winter into the following spring.Ticketed | Zigong, Sichuan | Dec to Mar · (跨元宵) |
1 event
Northwest China (西北)
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Tang Paradise Lantern Festival (大唐芙蓉园灯会)A large lantern display on a Tang theme in Tang Paradise park, from the first to the fifteenth of the lunar year.Ticketed | Xi’an, Shaanxi | Jan to Mar · lunar day 1 to 15 (正月初一至十五) |
Being There on the Day
Most of these move against the calendar on your phone, and the date is only fixed once the lunar year is set. Tell our local team your travel dates and they will say which of these fall inside them, and which are rites where a visitor stands at the edge rather than in the middle.