Locals and tourists savor folk culture and extend the festive spirit of the first lunar month at a Lantern Festival celebration in Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo by Wang Haibin/for chinadaily.com]

A Lantern Festival celebration was held over the weekend in Qingdao, Shandong province, drawing locals and tourists to savor folk culture and extend the festive spirit of the first lunar month.

As part of the 2026 national "Our Festival" series, the event featured public performances, displays of intangible cultural heritage handicrafts, and a Chinese New Year-themed trade fair. By blending holiday traditions with Qingdao's century-old folk customs, the celebration painted a warm and lively picture of the Year of the Horse.

Locals and tourists savor folk culture and extend the festive spirit of the first lunar month at a Lantern Festival celebration in Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo by Wang Haibin/for chinadaily.com]

More than 40 craft booths offered live demonstrations, with inheritors showing visitors how to make Chinese character rubbings, sugar paintings, and dough figurines. The trade fair brought together 200 stalls selling nostalgic treats like candied hawthorns and glutinous rice balls.

The festivities coincided with the 2026 Qingdao Turnip, Yuanxiao, and Tangqiu Fair at Haiyun'an Square in the city's Shibei district, home to a renowned fair with a history of more than 500 years.

Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday marking the end of Spring Festival. Celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month, it symbolizes unity, family reunions, and the arrival of spring.

Locals and tourists savor folk culture and extend the festive spirit of the first lunar month at a Lantern Festival celebration in Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo by Wang Haibin/for chinadaily.com]

Locals and tourists savor folk culture and extend the festive spirit of the first lunar month at a Lantern Festival celebration in Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo by Wang Haibin/for chinadaily.com]

International students learn to make glutinous rice balls at a Lantern Festival celebration in Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo by Wang Haibin/for chinadaily.com]

International students learn to make glutinous rice balls at a Lantern Festival celebration in Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo by Wang Haibin/for chinadaily.com]