Zhaoqing, located in the central-western part of Guangdong Province, has rolled out a series of Spring Festival cultural activities, inviting visitors to experience a joyful, peaceful, and meaningful Chinese New Year in this historic cultural city.
February 11 to March 3: The second Light and Shadow Art Carnival—"Lights of Duanzhou" will be held at the Zhaoqing Prefecture Office Ruins Park. Blending Song-dynasty aesthetics with modern lighting technology, the event features a 3D mapping show on the ancient city wall, zodiac-themed lanterns, folk acrobatics, immersive intangible cultural heritage (ICH) performances, and festive markets, creating a walk-through, immersive New Year spectacle.
February 12 to February 23: The Song City Arcade Street will host the "Song Blessings for the New Year · Arcade Street Fortune Walk" series, including New Year markets, calligraphers writing spring couplets, themed cycling stamp activities, and Hanfu (a type of traditional Chinese clothing) experiences.
February 13 to May 6: The 2026 Zhaoqing Color Light Carnival will be held at the Seven Star Cave. The event will create the largest spring lantern festival in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, with scheduled water-based ICH performances on the lake.
February 17: A grand parade will take place in the afternoon, featuring drums, dragon and lion dances moving from Liqiao Tower (丽谯楼) to Piyun Tower (披云楼), Chaotian Gate (朝天门), and the Qilou streets (骑楼街).
During the Spring Festival, the Duanzhou District Cultural Center will present the 48th Spring Calligraphy, Painting, and Photography Exhibition, while the Duan Inkstone Museum will host the national exhibition, showcasing innovation in traditional craftsmanship through artworks, design drafts, and cultural products.
February 27 to March 3: The 2026 Zhaoqing Cantonese Culture Temple Fair will be held, with the main venue at Seven Star Crags East Gate Square and a sub-venue at Yuankui Pagoda City Living Room. On March 1, an ICH parade will feature formations such as the Seven Fairies, Wu Ding Warriors, Zongzi Dolls, Dragon Mother and Bao Gong, alongside representative ICH dances, with ongoing dragon and lion dance performances.
March 3: The festival will conclude with a professional lion dance competition during the day and a spectacular lion dance performance in the evening, bringing the Lantern Festival celebrations to a brilliant close.
Author: Liu Yue
Photo: Nanfang Plus
Editor: Huang Qini, James Campion, Shen He
