The Lantern Festival, known as Yuanxiao Festival (元宵节), is a cherished Chinese traditional celebration observed on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, coinciding with the full moon. This year, the Lantern Festival falls on Feb 24.

Marked by the glow of lanterns illuminating the night, children partake in the festivities by carrying and adoring paper lanterns and engaging in the time-honored tradition of solving riddles.

A delectable aspect of Lantern Festival celebrations is the consumption of tangyuan (汤圆), delightful glutinous rice balls filled with sweet red bean paste, sesame paste, or peanut butter. This culinary tradition adds a sweet and flavorful dimension to the festivities, making the Lantern Festival a delightful occasion for both young and old across HZ.

People will celebrate Lantern Festival across the city. Here are some highlighted events.

Gongshu District

Qiantang Lantern Festival 2024

This year's Qiantang Lantern Festival not only features the main lantern and traditional activities at the Dengxin Lane entrance but also showcases a large dragon-themed canopy at the entrance of Jietansi Lane. Various creatively designed atmosphere lanterns extend all the way to Wulin Square. Along the route, there are interactive check-in spots for each community, displays of traditional intangible cultural heritage, Hanfu and character interactive parades, and a variety of colorful activities.

Dates: Feb 22 to 24

Locations: Dengxin Lane Community (灯芯巷社区) and Jietansi Lane Community （戒坛寺巷社区）

Yuhang District

Pingyao Old Street Lantern Festival

Collaborating with the Pingyao Old Street and Natural Creation team, a creative team traveled to Sichuan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and other places, spending three months working with lantern craftsmen to create a spectacle that showcases the imagination of Eastern aesthetics and art. The Pingyao Old Street Lantern Festival brings back the traditional Lantern Festival atmosphere with lantern riddles, a thousand-person tangyuan feast, and handmade lantern DIY activities.

Dates: Feb 24 to 25

Location: Pingyao Old Street (瓶窑老街)

Xiaoshan District

"Century Spring Outlook" Lantern Festival Temple Fair 

The immersive Lantern Festival Temple Fair revolves around the theme of "searching for lanterns". The event includes four parts, which are Lantern Festival Temple Fair, Lantern Festival Garden Tour, NPC Blind Date Garden Tour, and situational performances.

Dates: Feb 24 to 26

Time: 10:00-21:00

Location: Qianjiang Century Park （钱江世纪公园）

Linping District

E-fashion Town New Year Serial activities

An intangible cultural heritage fish lantern exhibition is currently ongoing on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Sky City in Yintai Yishang Trend Street. The Lantern Festival Creative Theme Market will combine with the Lantern Festival to create a creative market with a focus placed on culturally creative products, including market tents, internet-famous trunk booths, trendy food trucks, and more. It will gather vendors with interesting cultural and creative products, coffee desserts, light meals, and more.

Dates: Feb 23 to 25 (Lantern Festival Creative Theme Market);

Jan 26 to Feb 26 (Intangible Cultural Heritage Fish Lantern Exhibition)

Location: E-fashion Town (临平区艺尚小镇)

Lin'an District

A series of Lantern Festival celebrations

A series of Lantern Festival celebration activities will be carried out in a venue encompassing lantern appreciation and lantern riddles solving.

Date: Feb 24

Location: the Wuyue King Tomb Archaeological Site Park (吴越国王陵考古遗址公园)

Fuyang District

Greet a 104-meter-long dragon

The Xindeng Ancient Town will host an ancient city garden party, with a series of fascinating activities for everyone, including poetry recitation, archery and pot-throwing, lantern riddles guessing, handmade paper cutting, eye-dotting on dragon paintings, sandbag kicking, blind box drawing, and more. There will also be a literary and artistic performance. At that time, everyone will witness a 104-meter-long "dragon" named Guantang Qinglong.

Date: Feb 24

Location: Xindeng Ancient Town (新登古城)