Themed “A Millennium of Flower Exchanges in Fucheng, Lantern Festivities in the Blessed Land of Qiongtai”, the 2026 Haikou Fucheng Lantern Festival Flower Exchange Art gala officially launched on Feb. 11. The event will run for 21 days, ending on the night of the Lantern Festival (the fifteenth day of the first lunar month) which falls this year on March 3.

Citywide Experience: One Main Venue and Two Sub-Venues

This year’s flower festival art gala features one main venue and two themed sub-venues, extending the festive atmosphere throughout Fucheng’s urban area.

The main venue is located in the historic old town area known as Seven Wells, Eight Lanes, and Thirteen Streets (七井八巷十三街). Due to recent heritage conservation and revitalization efforts, the district has undergone scenic enhancements and facility upgrades to improve convenience and accessibility.

The Hainan Provincial Song and Dance Theatre sub-venue offers several stage performances, presenting curated programs that blend traditional folk culture with modern theatrical production, while the Gaoxingli Walking Street sub-venue features three themed zones including Intangible Cultural Heritage folk traditions, fun interactive experiences, and romantic photo spots.

A previous Haikou Flower Exchange Art gala.

29 Thrilling Activities

This year, Qiongshan District is holding 29 special activities centered around three major categories—interactive experiences, traditional folk customs, and artistic performances, with 13 major events taking place on Lantern Festival Day itself.

To facilitate participation, organizers have launched a WeChat mini-program called the “Flower Exchange Information Hub,” offering integrated guides for dining, sightseeing, entertainment, and shopping. Interactive highlights include activities like Fucheng Tea House tea tastings, a Fucheng Flower Quest Journey walking tour, a 12-point Flower Quest challenge, a Thirteen Flower Fairies selection event, the Matchmaker Fu Po dating talk show, street distribution of lucky gift bags, and Flower Exchange dance flash mobs.

Fucheng Tea House

The Matchmaker Fu Po dating talk show.

The traditional folk customs program features the lion dance, often referred to as ‘Awakening the Lion’, performed to welcome spring and symbolize vitality and good fortune. Puppet theatre performances continue a long-standing southern Chinese performing art tradition. The ‘Decorated Horse’ folk procession is a distinctive Lantern Festival parade showcasing elaborately adorned hobby-horse costumes. The ‘Kui Xing Points the Dipper’ blessing ritual pays tribute to Kui Xing, who symbolizes academic achievement and auspicious fortunes. Classic Qiong (Hainan) Opera performances highlight Hainan’s traditional local opera heritage, and attendees can also participate in a Cat Lantern handicraft workshop, an intangible cultural heritage lantern-making tradition unique to the region.

Artistic programming further enriches the celebration with Chinese pop music concerts and traditional Chinese instrument flash mob performances. For the first time, advanced lighting technology will power a drone show titled Dragon and Phoenix in Auspicious Harmony at Hai Rui Former Residence Square, blending innovation with tradition.

Immersive Experience: Lanterns Illuminate the Ancient Lanes

Through light and shadow, the Flower Festival Art gala revitalizes Fucheng’s historic charm and creates a fully immersive festive environment.

This year, Sanjiao Park (三角公园) is debuting a silhouette lantern installation themed ‘The Eight Scenic Views of Qiongtai’. The display is inspired by landmarks such as the Five Officials Temple and Qiongtai Blessed Land, narrating Fucheng’s cultural legacy through lantern artistry. In the Qiongtai Blessed Land area, holographic projection technology animates the ancient ceremonial archway, complemented by dragon-scale lantern displays, fish-themed ‘Abundance Year After Year’ installations symbolizing prosperity, and an interactive Year of the Horse blessing. Six main thoroughfares in the Fucheng area have been transformed into illuminated corridors of light, while historic alleyways have become themed ‘Flower Lanes’, each offering a different scenic view. The festival’s theme song, Flowers Across a Thousand Years, is being played during the event to accompany visitors throughout their journey.

As a classical poem recalls, “Last Lantern Festival, the flower market shone as bright as day. This Lantern Festival, the moon and lanterns remain the same”. Qiongshan District warmly welcomes visitors from across China and around the world to celebrate Spring Festival, exchange flowers, receive blessings, and welcome a year filled with good fortune.