The Yuyuan Lantern Festival, a beacon of global brilliance, stands strong at thirty. As a national intangible cultural heritage, the Yuyuan Lantern Festival has been a标志性新春 cultural event in Shanghai since its inception in 1995. In 2025, the festival is poised to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary, enduring and evolving from its roots in the heart of Shanghai’s old town, the Yuyuan area, which is the cultural epicenter of the city. The festival has grown alongside Shanghai, narrating Chinese stories of Eastern aesthetics from various perspectives, including lantern making, heritage preservation, technological innovation, and human narratives. It has transformed from a traditional folk lantern festival into a vibrant cultural IP, making it a festival of the nation and the world.
Beyond Yuyuan, beyond lanterns, and beyond Shanghai. The festival continues to pen the tale of ‘Wonders of the Mountains and Seas’ in 2025, shifting from grand narratives to the ordinary world, telling the stories of every ordinary person, akin to the glimmers within the lanterns. With the theme ‘All Things Beautiful, All Beings Wonderful,’ the festival unfolds around the ‘Classic of Mountains and Seas,’ showcasing the diverse and vibrant wonders of the forest. Each person, each lamp, and each installation pays tribute to the existence and significance of every living being, culminating in a harmonious and beautiful ‘Wonders of the Mountains and Seas.’
The wonders of mountains and seas display the splendor of all things, living up to the prime of life. The festival, a paragon of Chinese romance, is structured around four gateways and five thematic scenes, presenting a harmonious blend of the zodiac snake with the flora and fauna of the mountains and seas. It embodies universal values such as beauty, harmony, coexistence, and unity with nature, offering a romantic and aesthetic journey into Eastern living.
Green and eco-friendly concepts are linked to ecological civilization and environmental protection through the ‘Mountains and Seas Forest’ theme, implementing ESG environmental principles to create a green and eco-friendly festival. In collaboration with the Zhou Yao Insect Museum in Ningbo, the festival offers a ‘Green Exploration’ journey for families, integrating workshops and interactive science games to promote environmental consciousness and the proactive spirit of China and Shanghai, reflecting the social responsibility undertaken by the Yuyuan Lantern Festival.
Embracing cutting-edge technology, the festival offers a diverse cultural experience, introducing a range of innovative projects such as a magical lighting ceremony, a high-tech forest eye, a metaverse lantern festival, AR mythical creature interactions, AI travel photography, and VR immersive experiences, providing visitors with novel sensory experiences.
More than just lanterns, the Shanghai Lantern Art Culture Exhibition ‘Yu Garden Lantern Festival 30th Anniversary and Chinese Lantern Art Exhibition’ will commence concurrently with the lantern festival. From lanterns to lantern festivals to lantern art, a journey through time and light is about to begin. Themed activities, performances, and limited edition cultural and creative products are full of surprises and continuous excitement.
Yu Garden Lantern Festival, setting off again after thirty years, with beauty that never stops. (Warm reminder: an additional ticket is required for the exhibition.) Opening hours: 01/02-01/25, Monday-Thursday 16:00-22:00; 02/05-02/06, Monday-Thursday 16:00-22:00; 02/08-02/11, Monday-Thursday 16:00-22:00; 01/02-01/25, Friday-Sunday 14:00-22:00; 02/05-02/06, Friday-Sunday 14:00-22:00; 02/08-02/11, Friday-Sunday 14:00-22:00; 01/28 closed all day; 01/01 14:00-22:00; 01/29-02/04 14:00-22:00; 02/12 14:00-22:00; 01/26-01/27 16:00-22:00; 02/07 16:00-22:00. Concessions for children: aged 3 to 11 (inclusive) or height from 1.0 meters to 1.4 meters (inclusive). Additional discount notes: One visitor may bring one child under 1.0 meters (inclusive) for free entry, and visitors under 16 years old must be accompanied by a visitor aged 16 or above.
