Xi’an City Wall Lantern Festival

As a popular activity to celebrate Chinese New Year, Xi’an City Wall Lantern Festival has been held nearly 40 times since 1984. The festival 2026 has begun since January 1, and will last for 81 days until the beginning of spring. It provides a great opportunity for citizens and tourists to appreciate not only various kinds of lanterns but also magnificent night views of the Xi’an City Wall itself. Time: January 1 - March 22, 2026
Location: Area in front of South Gate / Yongning Gate; 3.5-km-long (2 mi) section from Hanguang Gate to Jianguo Gate of the wall, which contains the South Gate region.
Entrances: South Entrance of South Gate; North Entrance of South Gate; Hanguang Gate; Wumu Gate; Wenchang Gate; Heping Gate; Jianguo Gate.
Lighting Time: 18:00-24:00
Theme: Bright Lanterns Illuminate Xi’an, Greeting the Year of the Horse.

 Xi'an City Wall Tickets Booking
 At the starting point of the Welcome Avenue of the South Gate, there are two soaring-dragon-shaped lanterns facing each other. Their bright red and yellow colors, high-raised heads, and dynamic postures all show the celebration of the Chinese New Year and the warm welcome to visitors.
 After admiring various lanterns on both sides of the avenue, the large-sized lantern in barbican region will amaze you. Since the Chinese New Year connects with the Chinese Zodiac comprising 12 animals, the animal of the year, which is the horse in 2026, is designed to a large and beautiful lantern and placed in the middle of the South Gate Barbican. Moreover, the towers around the barbican are also decorated with delicate lanterns, making the wall itself even more impressive at night.

Large Horse Lantern in South Gate Barbican

 Through the large lantern gate, you will see two lines of lanterns on the wall. Some of them look like famous literary figures, and the most attractive one is definitely Monkey King. What’s more, Xi’an boasts precious cultural relics collected in Shaanxi History Museum, and you can find many lanterns designed based on them, for example, a water jug with a horse-shaped decoration.

Bright Lanterns Greeting New Year

Horse-shaped Lantern on Xi'an City Wall

 CNY 100. If you ascend the City Wall through gates other than ones in the core area of the festival at a cost of CNY 54 and you want to admire lanterns, to make up a price difference, you need to pay CNY 46 additionally at the spot on the wall about 100 meters east to Hanguang Gate or 100 meters east to Jianguo Gate.

 Note: During the lantern festival, visitors who have purchased any type of tickets to Xi’an City Wall can enter the attraction multiple times within a day.

Beautiful Lanterns in City Wall Attraction

Admire Lanterns on the Wall at Night

 1. From January 1 to February 16, Chinese New Year’s Eve, spectacular music and dance shows and interactive performances are given every day. If you want to enjoy both the performances and the lantern exhibition, it’s suggested to enter the attraction at about 16:30 to watch the show around 17:00, admire various buildings of the wall, and then view colorful lanterns after 18:00.

2. A recommended visiting route goes like: Welcome Avenue of South Gate → Barbican Region of South Gate → Walk Eastward to Jianguo Gate / Walk Westward to Hanguang Gate.

3. The lantern festival is hosted in winter of Xi’an, when weather is very cold, especially at night, so it’s highly suggested to keep warm and put on gloves, a scarf, and a beanie.

 More Lantern Fair Photos      Video of 2012 Lantern Festival on the City Wall