Wuhan has a fun line-up of festivals which happen throughout the year and include important national events such as Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival, and the Mid-Autumn Festival. Two fun events unique to Wuhan include the Plum Blossom Festival in February and the exciting Wuhan International Tourist Festival in October.

Chinese New Year: the best time to be in China for many, although perhaps not for those who don’t enjoy crowds, Chinese New Year in Wuhan is a fun occasion with thousands of noisy fire crackers and colourful dragon dances. The locals use Chinese New Year as an excuse to come home and see friends and family and thus travel during this time - towards the end of January/early February following the Chinese Lunar Calendar – can be tough. Be sure to try some traditional moon-shaped dumplings (jiaozi) during Chinese New Year.

Plum Blossom Festival: in late February goes off at the popular East Lake Park in Hankou. The city’s flower is displayed along with over 200 varieties of plum blossoms from all over China. Several side activities make the Plum Blossom Festival a fun time, with music and dance performances, plum mini-garden design contests, and presentations of Chinese calligraphy and paintings.

Lantern Festival: marks the end of Chinese New Year with the lighting and launching of thousands of colourful lanterns in Wuhan. In addition, locals make and hang static lanterns from their shops and houses to light up the city. Yuanxiao sticky rice dumplings are in abundance during the festival.

Tomb Sweeping Festival: known by most as Qingming, this national event has the living showing respect for departed family and friends with the cleaning of graves and offering of food, wine and flowers.

Chinese Dragon Boat Festival: Duanwu Jie is dedicated to the poet and politician Qu Yuan, who lived around 400BC as advisor to King Huai of Chu. Dragon boats race down the River Yangtze on the fifth day of the fifth moon of the lunar calendar.

Dragon Boat Festival: in early June every year many Chinese cities, including Wuhan, commemorate the death of poet Qu Yuan with an elaborate Dragon Boat Festival. Along with the racing and associated activities is much zongzi eating; a zongzi being a pyramid-shaped dumpling made of sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves.

Qi Qiao Jie: is another popular national event and one in which tourists can also enjoy. It is China’s version of Valentine’s Day and follows the ancient folk legend of Zhi Nu and Niu Lang. East Lake Park is typically very busy during this time.

Mid Autumn Festival: usually falling in mid-September the Mid-Autumn Festival is a very important holiday in the Chinese calendar and sees family members get together to discern the full moon and eat moon cakes and pomelos.

Wuhan International Tourist Festival: runs into mid-October from the end of September on Yanjiang Dadao beside the river. The carnival-like atmosphere features drumming parades and busy streets with artists performing from all regions of the country.

Christmas: Wuhan’s significant Christian population joins the rest of the country in celebrating Christmas where shopping malls are adorned with decorations and feature unceasing Christmas carols.