From dazzling choreography to cutting-edge stagecraft, the China Media Group (CMG)'s 2026 Spring Festival Gala is set to push the boundaries of television production and offer another entertaining fusion of tradition and innovation to global audiences during Monday's show.
The Spring Festival Gala, also known as "Chunwan" in Chinese, has been a major cultural symbol for the Chinese New Year celebrations in China since its debut in 1983, and has been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's most-watched annual TV program.
This year's show ushers in the Year of the Horse, the seventh animal in the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle.
The gala offers a unique window to experience both Chinese heritage and contemporary creativity, and advanced technology has again been seamlessly woven into the choreography of the hours-long entertainment extravaganza.
China's rapid developments in the robotics sector is set to be another central feature of the gala.
"For the first time in this year's Spring Festival Gala, robots will appear in skits, martial arts, and a short film alongside top comedian Shen Teng," said Yu Lei, the chief director of the gala.
"Back in March, we built the world's first backflipping robot. Now, after major upgrades, it can peform a flip and instantly stabilizes, marking a significant technical breakthrough," said Yi Ting, program director of the Beijing-based Noetix Robotics, who are providing some of the robot stars for the gala.
In addition to these dazzling visual and audio effects, the gala is infused with many designs inspired by this year's zodiac sign of the horse.
On stage, 14 digitally-controlled rotating modules create galloping horses, bringing energy, tradition, and innovation to life for the Year of the Horse.
For the performers and production team, the gala provides them with a space to explore how culture and technology can blend in spectacularly harmonious ways, and to tell the stories they want to showcase.
"What impressed me most were the hand-stitched costumes and the children's energetic performances in little horse headpieces," said singer Ouyang Nana.
"Today, I'm performing as a little horse. Look at my horse head and tail," said a young dancer named Guo Shuyi a she excitedly showed off his costume. The gala is set to get underway at 20:00 (Beijing time) Monday, with the program running through until after midnight, as families across China welcome in the new year.
CMG's Spring Festival Gala set to blend tradition with tech innovation
As one of the four sub-venues for China Media Group's 2026 Spring Festival Gala, Harbin in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province is to distinguish itself with its unique ice stage.
Known as the "Ice City," Harbin is the northernmost and coldest of this year's gala locations. Set against sweeping snow and ice landscapes, the city is to offer a striking winter backdrop for the nationally televised variety show.
At the Harbin Ice and Snow World, the production team has constructed a new main stage designed specifically for the gala. Framed by ten snowflake-shaped structures, the "ice stage" is intentionally compact and immersive, standing in contrast to the surrounding monumental ice architecture.
"We didn't intend to build a massive stage this time. Instead, we wanted a more intimate layout," said Cao Tianshu, production director of the Harbin sub-venue for the 2026 Spring Festival Gala.
"We've created ten snowflake structures, each made of a special steel mesh material, so as to produce a translucent effect, enhanced through lighting. The structure is sturdy and wind-resistant, as the mesh is pervious to wind. We've also built a 30-by-30-meter ice rink that can accommodate skating and ice dance performances, and we put a lot of efforts into ensuring the quality of the ice," Cao said.
Even without large LED screens or heavy digital effects, producers say the natural texture of ice and snow will create unexpected visual impact — one of the Harbin segment’s defining features.
The Harbin show is expected to run about seven minutes. Members of the directing team traveled to the city five times during preparations, selecting representative landmarks and cultural elements that reflect Harbin’s winter economy, regional character and contemporary spirit.
"We have incorporated signature scenes tied to Harbin's ice and snow culture, like the Ice and Snow World, Central Street and the Chinese Baroque quarter. We've also included local specialties and popular attractions favored by visitors and online audiences, such as the well-known giant snowman. All these elements are woven into this year's program design," said Zhang Ji, chief director of the Harbin sub-venue for the 2026 Spring Festival Gala.
Unlike traditional singing performances, this year's Harbin segment will adopt a narrative format. Performers will portray ordinary people who emerged in Harbin's recent tourism boom, recreating heartwarming moments through staged storytelling.
The segment will also adopt advanced sci-tech elements, both aerial and ground-based, adding further visual dimension to the winter-themed production.
The other three sub-venues are Yiwu in Zhejiang Province, Hefei in Anhui Province and Yibin in Sichuan Province, which alongside Harbin will present a diverse cultural show for the festival.
Initiated in 1983, the Spring Festival Gala has become a central feature of Chinese New Year celebrations. The annual program combines music, dance, comedy sketches, traditional opera and folk arts, and airs on the eve of the Spring Festival.
This year, the gala will go live on Monday.
Harbin brings ice stage to Spring Festival Gala
