Famous Ethnic Festivals in China 2023

Ethnic festivals are always fulled with beautiful legends and featured activities to celebrate. In every month, there are festivals held in different areas by different minorities.

If you are interested in Chinese ethnic groups and their festivals, you could have a look at the following top ethnic festivals & tours for your further planning. For more ethnic festivals and travel details, please feel free to contact our professional travel consultants. They are surely help build a meaningful and awesome festival tour no matter you want to go in southwest China, northwest China or north China.

Top Ethnic Minority Festivals & Recommended Tours

Shoton Festival in Tibet

Event Time: on the 4th, August

Place to See: Lhasa, Tibet

Shoton Festival is a cultural gala in Tibet. The festival has many interesting and marvelous activities like Great Buddha Display, Tibetan Opera Show and Horsemanship & Yak Race Show. In Drepung Monastery, you could enjoy the prelude to the festival. The 500-square-meter large Great Buddha Display on the hillside which marks the beginning of the annual Shoton Festival. In the Norbulingka Park, you could enjoy the Tibetan Operas which performed by the Tibetan Opera troupes from Lhasa. You could also see the Horsemanship & Yak Race Show at Lhasa Race Course. Join in the Shoton Festival and travelers could explore the best of Tibetan religion, culture and tradition.

Recommended Shoton Festival Tour

>> 7 Days Lhasa Shoton Festival Tour (Lhasa / Nagchu)

Inner Mongolia Naadam Festival

Event Time: around July of every year

Place to See: Grasslands near Hohhot, Inner Mongolia

Summer is the best time to travel to Inner Mongolia. During the time, you could not only enjoy traditional culture and customs of Mongolian by visiting the grasslands like Huitengxile Grassland, Gegentala Grassland, Xilamuren Grassland, but also join the Naadam Festival to enjoy three games - the wrestling, horse racing and archery. Besides the activities, you could also join in the bonfire party, sing and dance with locals, taste some Mongolian food.

Recommended Naadam Festival Tour

>> 4 Days Inner Mongolia Naadam Festival Tour (Hohhot / Huitengxile Grassland / Hohhot)

March Fair of Bai Ethnic Group

Event Time: from 15th to 21th of the third lunar month

Place to See: Dali, Yunnan

March Fair is the grandest festival for the Bai people who are living in Dali, Yunnan. March Fair is also known as Guanyin Fair, hold at the foot of Cangshan Mountain and Dali Old Town. Nowadays, it has developed into the largest market for commodity transaction in the west Yunnan. During the festival, businessmen and local people in and around Dali gather here to participate in the transaction. What’s more, horse-racing, folk dance and songs will be presented by the Bai, Yi, Naxi, tibetan, and Hui minorities.

Recommended March Fair Tour

>> 5 Days Dali Tour with Cangshan Mountain (Dali)

Torch Festival of Yi Ethnic Group

Event Time: from 24th to 27th of the sixth lunar month

Place to See: Yi minority areas in Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan

The Torch Festival is a traditional festival celebrated by Yi ethnic group in Southwest China. The origin of the festival may have something to do with the worship of fire by ancestors who believed the fire had the power to repel insects to protect crop. It is always holding for three days. During these days, they light the torches, walk around the fields and houses, young men and women sing and dance around the big torches. You could enjoy other interesting activities like horse racing, bullfights, arrow shooting, wrestling, tugs-of-wars and swinging etc.

Recommended Torch Festival Tour

>> 3 Days Kunming Spring City Tour (Kunming / Stone Forest / Kunming)

Water Splashing Festival of Dai Ethnic Minority

Event Time: from 13th to 15th of April, sometimes last for 3-7 days

Place to See: Xishuangbanna, Yunnan

Water Splashing Festival is the most important festival of Dai ethnic group of Xihuangbannan, Yunnan. This festival is also the New Year Festival of Dai people. During the festival, Dai people race dragon boats, visit temples, monasteries, wash the statues of Buddha with water (known as “Bathing the Buddha”) and epic water fight on the last day. A symbolic water splashing ritual is held, and they dance, pour water on others (they believe pour water on others could remove bad luck and bring happiness). The wetter you get, the luckier you will be.

Recommended Water Splashing Festival Tour

If you are interested in Water Splashing Festival of Dai Ethnic, please make sure your travel time could be suit for the time of the festival and it’s better to book the tour earlier before the festival. For more detailed itinerary and activities arrangement, please feel free to contact our professional travel consultants.

Miao New Year Festival

Event Time: in Tenth lunar month (exact date disclosed one or two months in advance)

Place to See: Leishan, Guizhou Province

Miao New Year Festival is the grandest festival for Miao Ethnic Minority. It is good to get to Leishan county in Guizhou province to enjoy the festival. During the event, travelers could enjoy watching various kinds of ethnic activities like festival parade, traditional music of Lusheng, bullfights, horseracing, lots of singing and dancing. In this way, travelers could know better about Miao, their customs, lifestyle, arts, dress, and activities.

Recommended Miao New Year Festival

>> 5 Days Miao’s New Year Festival Tour in Guizhou (Guiyang / Kaili)

Lusheng Festival

Event Time: two festival time; Recommended Time & Place: Oct.27-29, 2016 in Gulong 

Place to See: Kaili, Guizhou

Travelers could enjoy Lusheng Festival in Kaili, Guizhou. If you plan a visit in Guizhou in January and February, you could head to Zhouxi Town, 16 km from Kaili city. In Zhouxi, more than 30,000 people participate in the festival. If you plan a tour in Guizhou in November, you’d better get to Gulong Village in Huangping County, 75 km from Kaili city, to enjoy the autumn Gulong Lusheng Festival. It is usually falls on 27th, 28th, 29th of the ninth month in lunar calendar every year. During the festival in Zhouxi and Gulong, travelers could enjoy lots of ethnic activities like singing, bullfighting, horse racing, dancing to the rhythm of the Lusheng.

Recommended Lusheng Festival Tour in Guizhou

>> 6 Days Autumn Lusheng Festival Tour in Guizhou (Guiyang / Anshun / Kaili / Gulong / Guiyang)

Sisters’ Meal Festival

Event Time: the 15th of third lunar month, last for 3 day; it will be on April 20-23, 2016.

Place to See: Kaii, Guizhou

Sisters’ Meal Festival is the ancient Chinese Valentines’ Day. Travelers could get to Taijiang County, Laotun Town, Shidong Town to enjoy the Sisters’ Meal Festival. And the most famous one is Shidong, about 2 hours’ drive from Kaili. The Sisters’ Meal Festival brings villagers from many remote mountain areas together to seek for a mate. They also enjoy many activities including Lusheng singing and dancing, boating, drum-beating, bullfighting, rooster fighting etc. And most importantly, they will enjoy the Sisters’ Meal, an eye-pleasing and appetizing meal made of polished glutinous rice. The festival and its activities will last for 3 days.

Recommended Sisters’ Meal Festival

>> 5 Days Miao Sisters’ Meal Festival Tour (Guiyang / Kaili / Shidong / Zhenyuan / Kaili / Xijiang / Guiyang)