Yuyuan Lantern Festival to illuminate Shanghai for Year of the Horse

Preparations for the Yuyuan Lantern Festival are underway in Shanghai ahead of the Year of the Horse. The lighting ceremony will begin on Jan 26, 2026, and the festival will run through March 3, according to Yuyuan Garden Malls as of Dec 17.

The 2026 festival emphasizes a traditional New Year atmosphere, inviting people to experience the Shanghai New Year celebrations in the old city.

The festival will extend beyond Yuyuan Garden for the first time, encompassing Fuyou Road and Middle Fangbang Road, and linking Yu Garden, BFC, and the Bund area.

The horse, the zodiac animal for 2026, takes center stage in this year's theme. The lantern installations along Ninghui Road, a traditional starting point for viewing the festival, are already halfway completed, transforming the street into a vibrant sea of lanterns.

Cartoon horse figures are now visible in front of time-honored businesses such as Tong Han Chun Tang and Shanghai Classical Restaurant. Blue horse lantern sets are also attracting visitors to pause and photograph them.

The expanded "Greater Yu Garden Area" will create a unique "history-modernity-future" light narrative, allowing visitors to traverse different eras and experience a special light show. 

Source: thepaper.cn & shanghai.gov