Zunyi Festivals And Activities

Zunyi (遵义) is one of northern Guizhou’s most culturally diverse destinations. Its annual festival calendar combines Spring Festival dragon dances, Gelao and Miao traditions, rural fairs, tea and chilli exhibitions, red-culture programmes, sports events and modern night-time performances.

Festival activity is especially concentrated from Chinese New Year to the Lantern Festival. Between Spring Festival and Lantern Festival in 2026, Zunyi’s 15 county-level areas and development zones presented 793 cultural and tourism activities, attracting approximately 4.68 million visits. Dragon and lion dances were the defining theme, with celebrations extending from the historic city centre to Wuchuan, Zheng’an, Yuqing, Renhuai, Xishui and rural communities throughout the municipality.

Zunyi also has an important exhibition economy. Meitan County (湄潭县) hosts major tea-industry events, while central Zunyi and Xinpu New Area (新蒲新区) organize the Guizhou–Zunyi International Chilli Expo. These events connect local agriculture, trade, cultural performances and visitor experiences. However, exhibition dates and programmes are announced separately each year and should not be treated as permanent fixed dates.

Main Characteristics of Zunyi’s Festival Culture

Dragon Dancing and Northern Guizhou New Year Traditions

Dragon dancing is the most visible symbol of the Zunyi New Year. Communities normally make, maintain and perform their own dragons, which appear in street processions, competitive displays and evening firework performances. Some places preserve distinctive local styles that have been passed down for generations.

In 2026, Zunyi promoted performances involving 368 dragons across the municipality. Wuchuan Gelao and Miao Autonomous County (务川仡佬族苗族自治县) presented four differently coloured dragons representing traditional sections of the old town, while Qianbei Old Street (黔北老街) in Xinpu staged a procession with motorcycles, 12 dragon teams and four lion-dance teams.

Zheng’an County (正安县) is known for a dragon-lantern tradition said to have continued for more than two centuries. Its New Year programme includes bringing out the dragons, street parades and public performances. Dragon celebrations are also held in communities such as Banqiao in Huichuan and Fengxiang in Bozhou.

Lantern Festival Celebrations

The Lantern Festival (元宵节) marks the conclusion of Zunyi’s New Year season. Typical activities include lantern displays, riddles, dragon and lion dances, folk performances, fireworks and community parades.

The largest programmes are often organized in Honghuagang District (红花岗区), Huichuan District (汇川区), Xinpu New Area, Wuchuan, Zheng’an, Yuqing and Fenggang. Individual programmes vary considerably from year to year, so travellers should confirm locations and traffic restrictions shortly before arrival.

Miao Festivals in Chishui

Miao communities in Chishui City (赤水市) preserve several seasonal celebrations centred on villages such as Wuxing Miao Village (五星苗寨) and Dashipan Miao Village (大石盘苗寨).

The best-known is the Miao Treading-the-Mountain Festival (苗族踩山节), normally held during the first lunar month. It traditionally provides an occasion for welcoming spring, meeting relatives, singing, dancing and community exchange. Modern programmes may include Lusheng music, drum dances, bamboo-pole dancing, long-table banquets and bonfire activities.

Wuxing Miao Village is also associated with folk occasions such as song gatherings around the third day of the third lunar month, Miao fairs around the sixth day of the sixth lunar month and other village ceremonies. Public performances are not guaranteed every year, and some observances remain community traditions rather than commercial tourism events.

Gelao Festivals in Wuchuan and Daozhen

Wuchuan and Daozhen Gelao and Miao Autonomous County (道真仡佬族苗族自治县) are the principal centres of Gelao culture in Zunyi. Gelao communities observe Spring Festival, mountain rituals, harvest celebrations and festivals expressing respect for nature, ancestors and agricultural life.

The New Rice Festival or Chixin Festival (吃新节) is one of the most important harvest traditions. Newly ripened grain is collected and offered to ancestors before the community begins eating the new harvest. Wuchuan’s Longtan Gelao Ancient Village has organized public Chixin celebrations featuring gate-opening ceremonies, ancestor-related customs, folk performances and communal meals.

The Gelao Ox King Festival (仡佬族牛王节) is traditionally observed on the first day of the tenth lunar month. Families allow cattle to rest, prepare good feed and express gratitude for their contribution to farming. In some communities, glutinous-rice cakes are placed on the animals’ horns before being fed to them.

The Third-Day-of-the-Third-Lunar-Month Mountain Ritual (三月三祭山) is another Gelao tradition. Its precise form differs among villages, and some ceremonies are private community rituals rather than open tourist performances.

Zunyi Festivals Through the Four Seasons

Winter and Early Spring: December to March

Winter and early spring form Zunyi’s busiest festival season. The citywide “Joyful Zunyi, Enjoy the Warm Winter” programme (悦·遵义·享暖冬) generally combines New Year celebrations, markets, concerts, exhibitions, hot-spring experiences, winter sports and Spring Festival programmes.

New Year’s Eve events may include fireworks, drone displays and concerts in Xinpu, Huichuan and major resorts. During the Spring Festival holiday, visitors can attend dragon dances, lantern fairs, rural performances, temple-style markets and intangible-cultural-heritage workshops.

Wujiang Village International Tourism Resort (乌江寨国际旅游度假区) in Bozhou is a major holiday-performance venue. Seasonal programmes commonly combine village-style dragon dancing, bench dragons, iron-flower shows, drone performances, bonfires and night tours. These are programmed scenic-area shows rather than fixed traditional ceremonies, so the annual schedule must be checked in advance. During the 2026 Spring Festival, Wujiang Village combined fireworks with creative dragon performances.

Spring: March to May

Spring celebrations increasingly focus on tea, rural landscapes and outdoor activities. Meitan is the main centre of tea-related events.

The Guizhou Tea Industry Expo (贵州茶产业博览会) is generally held in Meitan in April. The 18th edition opened on 18 April 2026 and included tea promotion, trade activities, new-tea-drink events, tea competitions and visits to tea enterprises and cultural facilities. Supporting activities included a walk and competitive run through the tea-growing landscape.

Spring is also associated with flower viewing, tea picking, countryside markets and seasonal cultural programmes in Meitan, Fenggang, Bozhou and Renhuai. These smaller events may depend on flowering and harvesting conditions.

Summer: June to August

Summer programmes combine traditional holidays, ethnic culture, outdoor recreation and commercial exhibitions.

During the Dragon Boat Festival (端午节), communities organize zongzi-making, folk performances and cultural-heritage activities. In 2026, Zunyi’s principal public Dragon Boat Festival civilization programme was held at Shixiang Square in Suiyang. Wujiang Village also commonly presents themed night shows and handicraft experiences during the holiday.

The Guizhou–Zunyi International Chilli Expo (贵州·遵义国际辣椒博览会) is an important agricultural and trade event. The 11th expo was scheduled for 17–18 August 2026 in Xinpu New Area, with exhibitions, conferences, competitions, promotional activities and industry exchanges. Its date and venue may change in later years.

Zunyi occasionally hosts major national or international sports events. The 13th Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships and 19th Asian Junior Championships were held at Zunyi Olympic Sports Centre in June 2026. This was a special 2026 event rather than an annual Zunyi festival.

Autumn: September to November

Autumn is the main season for harvest festivals, agricultural fairs and countryside cultural activities.

Wuchuan’s public Gelao New Rice Festival has been staged in September, combining harvest customs with cultural performances and community tourism. Gelao communities may also observe the Ox King Festival on the first day of the tenth lunar month.

Autumn programmes elsewhere in Zunyi may include farm-product fairs, poetry events, country markets and village harvest celebrations. Suiyang, promoted as a “land of poetry,” has organized poetry-themed cultural markets combining performances, agricultural products, crafts and traditional games, although such branded activities are not necessarily held on identical dates every year.

Festival Markets and Rural Fairs

Traditional rural markets are not festivals in the strict sense, but they are among the most accessible ways to experience Zunyi’s local culture.

Zunyi Ancient City (遵义古城), Xinpu Old Street (新蒲老街), Xiazi Town (虾子镇) and Huamao Village (花茂村) periodically organize markets selling snacks, agricultural products, handicrafts and festival goods. Market days are frequently calculated according to the lunar calendar, and the exact arrangement may change because of holidays, weather or local management.

New Year goods fairs are generally held from January to February in central commercial areas and county towns. Visitors can purchase cured meat, tea, chilli products, pastries, handicrafts and Spring Festival decorations.

Planning a Zunyi Festival Tour

Best Time for Traditional New Year Culture

The period from the first day of the first lunar month through the Lantern Festival offers the highest concentration of activities. A practical journey can combine central Zunyi’s red-culture districts with dragon performances in Huichuan or Xinpu and an evening programme at Wujiang Village.

Because lunar dates change annually, international travellers should first identify the Gregorian dates of that year’s Spring Festival and Lantern Festival and then check local programmes.

Best Time for Ethnic Culture

Visit Chishui during the first lunar month for Miao mountain-treading activities, or travel to Wuchuan in early autumn when a public New Rice Festival is announced.

Ethnic ceremonies should be approached respectfully. Some rituals are intended primarily for community members, and photography may be restricted during ancestral or religious observances.

Best Time for Exhibitions

April is suitable for tea-culture and tea-industry events in Meitan, while August is generally associated with the chilli industry in central Zunyi or Xinpu. These exhibitions are particularly suitable for business visitors, agricultural study groups and culinary tours.

Accommodation and Transport

Rooms around Wujiang Village, Meitan and central Zunyi can sell out during major events. Accommodation should be reserved early for Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival and major exhibitions.

Street processions frequently cause temporary traffic controls. Private vehicles should be parked outside the event centre where possible, while organized private transport can reduce uncertainty when visiting several counties.

Major Festivals and Events Across Zunyi

The following table covers Zunyi’s principal recurring traditions and representative public events. It is not a guarantee that every programme will be held each year. Exact dates, venues and public access must be reconfirmed from annual announcements.

Festival Tours with Yaso Trip

A Zunyi Festival Tour with Yaso Trip can combine public celebrations with local history, food and community culture. Spring Festival programmes may connect central Zunyi, Xinpu, Wujiang Village, Zheng’an or Wuchuan, while an ethnic-culture journey can focus on Chishui’s Miao villages and Wuchuan’s Gelao communities.

Tea-themed groups can attend Meitan’s spring events, visit tea gardens and join tea-making activities. Culinary and business groups can combine the Zunyi International Chilli Expo with markets, food workshops and agricultural enterprises.

All programmes should be based on the official schedule released for the relevant year. Private transport, bilingual guiding, accommodation and cultural interpretation can be arranged without compulsory shopping stops.