Lantern festival to illuminate Budapest for the Year of the Dragon

The dragon lantern festival, part of the "Happy Chinese New Year" program, is set to open at one of Europe's oldest zoos, the Budapest Zoo, from Dec 16, 2023 to Feb 24, 2024.

The lantern festival is co-organized by the Budapest Zoo, Zigong Haitian Culture Co.,Ltd, and the China-Europe Economic and Cultural Tourism Development Center, with support from the Chinese Embassy in Hungary, the China National Tourist Office and the China Cultural Center in Budapest.

Lanterns, symbols of joy and happiness since ancient times, have become one of China's cultural icons. Lighting lanterns during the New Year and the Lantern Festival is an integral part of Chinese New Year celebrations.

The Zigong lantern festival, originating in Zigong, southwest China's Sichuan province, stands out from the lantern shows in China and has been listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage. With its grand scale and the integration of lanterns with landscapes, the Zigong lantern festival incorporates various art forms such as sculpture, traditional Chinese painting and decoration. To date, it has attracted over 400 million visitors.