Xi'an Kicks Off 2026 Chang'an Lantern Festival with Epic Light Spectacles to Spring
XI'AN, China, Jan. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, the opening lighting ceremony of the 2026 Chang'an Lantern Festival, themed "Thousands of Lanterns Shining on Chang'an and Welcoming Spring with Horses," was grandly held in historic city of Xi'an, China.
The Festival, which used to open for Spring Festival and has been brought forward this year, blends the city's millennium-old cultural heritage with modern spectacular lighting to unfold a splendid 96-day lantern showcase spanning the three festivals of New Year, Spring Festival, and Lantern Festival, recreating the Tang Dynasty spectacle of "a night aglow with blooming nights, a city alight with fire trees and silver flowers."
This year's Chang'an Lantern Festival features two main venues: Da Tang Furong Garden (Tang Paradise) and Xi'an City Wall, presented through intertwined land-and-water narratives.
Centered on three core themes — "Revitalized National Treasures," "Poetic Charm of Chang'an," and "Galloping Zodiac Horse" — the festival in Xi'an City Wall venue weaves cultural relics, poetry, and zodiac tradition into a dazzling tapestry. Over 50 national treasures from leading museums have been digitally and artisanaly reimagined, stepping out of exhibit halls and onto the ancient wall. During the Spring Festival, the "Hundred Alleys, Thousand Poems" market will be held at Yongning Gate, fully showcasing Xi'an's cultural charm as the "Capital of Tang Poetry," where verses transcend time and space.
The festival in Da Tang Furong Garden continues until April 6. It features 39 of Tang poetry-themed lantern groups that transform more than 300 classic poems into immersive, walk-through light-and-shadow scrolls. Over 30 intangible cultural heritage crafts, such as Suzhou embroidery, bamboo weaving, and traditional opera facial makeup, are ingeniously integrated into the lantern designs. By day, global visitors can enjoy hands-on traditional Chinese games like pitch-pot (touhu) and fifteen-pin bowling, plus live performances of classic operas. At night, travelers can experience spectacular water-based fire-pot displays, laser light shows, fountain performances, and interactive shows.
Over the past two years, the Chang'an Lantern Festival has crossed mountains and seas to become part of joint cultural events with the five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan). It has also traveled abroad to share the unique Chinese-style romance in the United States, Singapore, and Malaysia.
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