Spring Fireworks Festival: coinciding with the lunar calendar is one of Dalian’s main winter doldrums breakers. Thousands of tourists from China and abroad visit the city during this week to enjoy ice carving exhibitions, folk art performances, and of course, the huge fireworks display.
Chinese New Year: China’s largest holiday is a truly overwhelming spectacle of humanity. Millions of Chinese make their way home for the two weeks surrounding the lunar new year, creating a veritable logjam for travel of any kind. Firecrackers pop round the clock, backed by colourful parades, cultural performances and fireworks shows. It’s the worst time to travel in China so make sure you’re in Dalian well in advance if you want to witness this incredible event.
Dalian Acacia Festival: every spring the lovely acacia trees flower in Dalian. The pleasant scent of the buds provides the perfect backdrop as locals perform traditional songs and dances. A number of special events are planned by the city to promote both its culture and the city itself as a great place to visit.
Chinese Scholar Tree Blossom Festival: every May the beautiful scholar trees bloom, bringing a burst of colour to Dalian. To celebrate this inspiring sight, the city holds a huge festival to promote its arts and culture. Folk dances, calligraphy and painting exhibitions, and other cultural performances fill the schedule. But the main highlight is the kite flying contests that attract competitors from all over China, filling the skies with more colour than the trees.
Labour Day: this major Chinese holiday attracts hordes of Chinese to Dalian to enjoy a bit of domestic sightseeing. Although there aren’t any special events planned in the city, people come from all around to enjoy the seaside activities. International travellers, however, may want to plan their trip to avoid this day.
Chang Hai International Fishing Festival: with all the water surrounding Dalian it makes sense that the city would hold a major fishing festival. Apart from the fishing competitions, there are special sightseeing tours to neighbouring fishing villages and other fun events. Even if you aren’t an avid angler, this festival showcases a major component of the cultural side of Dalian.
Dalian International Beer Festival: Dalian is the undisputed beer capital of China, and this massive summer festival celebrates the title. For two weeks each year Xinghai Square is the hub for parades, music and dance performances, and many different kinds of competitions. The beer flows freely as the whole city drops into party mode, making this one of the most entertaining times for a visit.
Army Day: China’s Army Day commemorates the founding of the People’s Liberation Army. Since Dalian is such a large and important city, a number of civic events are planned to mark this occasion.
Dalian International Fashion Festival: Dalian is widely regarded as China’s premier fashion city, and each year it holds a huge fashion festival to showcase local talent and encourage international exposure. Anyone who is anyone in China’s (and Asia’s) fashion world comes to Dalian to mingle, check out the latest styles and make new contacts with the Western world. If you’re a fashion junkie this is a week you won’t want to miss.
Mid-Autumn Festival: also referred to as the Lantern Festival or Mooncake Festival, this important event is one of the highlights of the Chinese calendar. In celebration of the summer harvest, everyone in China gets together with family and friends to enjoy good food and drinks. During the day spectacles such as fire dragon dances roll through the streets, and at night the city lights up with the warm glow of lanterns in every house.
Dalian International Marathon Contest: one of the world’s main running races happens in Dalian every October. Competitors from all around the globe converge on the city to see who can finish the marathon fastest. Other peripheral events are scheduled around the main race.
Dalian International Winter Swimming Festival: hardcore Chinese from all around come to Dalian to prove they can swim in the frigid ocean waters during winter. Swimmers plunge into the sea at Golden Pebble Beach for a brief swim, and then carry on with numerous entertaining land-based activities.
Dalian Hot Spring and Ski Festival: Anbo Ski Resort and Hongyuan Hotspring Village are the sites for this fun winter event. Professional skiers come from around the world to compete, while amateurs just enjoy the slopes. The soothing hot springs help put everyone involved into a relaxed and friendly state of mind.
