A grand parade celebrating the Chinese Spring Festival took place on Sunday at Expo City in Dubai, featuring traditional Chinese folk dances including the Yingge or Hero's Song Dance, dragon and lion dances, and hi-tech displays including dancing robots and self-driving cars.
The parade included representatives from all seven emirates which make up the United Arab Emirates, adding a special touch to the lively performances.
Alongside the parade, a special Spring Festival bazaar was set up, showcasing a variety of delicious Chinese cuisine and offering intangible cultural experiences such as paper cutting and calligraphy. Meanwhile, a range of Chinese tech showcases captured public attention, with crowds gathering to take photos as robots showed off their capabilities.
"We have a saying that technology enhances culture. As we all know, we have wonderful traditional cultures, and our contemporary arts are also remarkable. To make these cultures more appealing, especially to young people, we need to use some technological means to empower them, so they can attract more people to experience them," said Ou Boqian, the Chinese Consul General in Dubai.
During the event, promotional videos for China Media Group's (CMG) 2026 Spring Festival Gala, as well as the short film promoting the "China Travel with Chinese Films" initiative were screened on a loop. The festive and joyful visuals, along with the engaging audiovisual presentation, drew many guests to stop and watch.
Meanwhile, a CMG pavilion was open to visitors, showcasing the content and program selections for the Spring Festival Gala, as well as a variety of the media group’s cultural and creative products. A member of the Dubai royal family visited the pavilion and was briefed on the content and program selections for the Gala.
Hoda Ara, a visitor from Egypt, said that the Spring Festival was the part of Chinese culture that fascinates her the most.
"Spring Festival holds deep tradition in it, but it still can bring a lot like like what we see today, a lot of joy and a lot of beautiful energy to people from different backgrounds," she said.
The Spring festival will fall on Feb 17 this year, ushering in the Year of the Horse, the seventh of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac.
Grand Spring Festival Parade lights up Dubai’s Expo City
With the Chinese New Year just around the corner, cities across China are hosting vibrant events to welcome the upcoming year.
The Spring Festival will fall on Feb 17 this year, ushering in the Year of the Horse, the seventh of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac.
In Beijing, shopping malls and supermarkets are bringing in holiday markets, where red lanterns and fortune decorations create a joyful atmosphere. Some of the markets feature traditional products for the holiday such as Spring Festival couplets and other decorative items, while others offer a collection of global delicacies - from Thai durian to Spanish ham, to give give shoppers diverse holiday experiences.
"I'm doing some holiday shopping. I bought couplets, and this big persimmon toy symbolizing good luck, which I quite like. It's very creative," said Chang Guangcheng, a shopper.
Shanghai has launched over 2,000 cultural and tourism activities, including shows, intangible cultural heritage fairs and exhibitions. An indoor ski resort creatively staged a striking "Yingge dance on snow" show combining the southern China folk dance with ice and snow activities and performed by international performers.
"Overall visitor traffic increased by nearly 70 percent (since January). We expect the total visitor flow to the resort during this Spring Festival to increase by about 20 percent year-on-year," said Wang Xiaobo, a resort manager.
In the countryside, folk activities for Spring Festival are drawing visitors looking for a fresh experience. In Fujian Province's Pingnan County, villagers and tourists gathered on the 900-year-old Wan'an Bridge for a traditional banquet featuring dragon dances and folk singing - a custom preserved for over a century.
"So many people, all sitting together on this bridge in a lively atmosphere - it was the first time I'd ever experienced such a bustling scene. We enjoyed delicious food and had a great time," said Lin Huifang, a tourist.
Meanwhile, tourists attractions are staging Chinese New Year parades to draw holiday visitors. In Yunnan Province's Huize Ancient Town, a parade featuring activities visitors can participate created an imperative experience for travelers.
"I had a very fruitful day," said Zhao Yixun, a young girl.
"I won two prizes, which made me very happy," said another girl named Li Yuetong.
China gears up for Spring Festival with colorful celebrations
