Landmark buildings across the world, including the London Eye in the UK and Calgary Tower in Canada, were lit up in red on Tuesday to celebrate the Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival.
The Spring Festival is the most important holiday in China, and is traditionally celebrated with family reunion feasts, festive delicacies and wishes of good luck for the year ahead. Chinese New Year's Day marked the start of the Year of the Horse -- the seventh of the 12 zodiac animals in the Chinese zodiac.
To mark the Chinese New Year, the London Eye, the iconic Ferris wheel in the centre of the British capital, was lit up in red and gold, the auspicious colors associated with the festival, bringing festive joy to the banks of the River Thames.
The lighting-up event drew overseas Chinese, local residents and tourists from around the world, who used their phones and cameras to capture the landmark illuminated in the signature colors of the Chinese New Year.
"It's a festival of spring. So it's life. It brings life. That's what it means to me. It's like a nice beginning of everything that it will bring," said Elaine, a resident.
The London Eye has been illuminated in red and gold every Chinese New Year since 2015.
The Calgary Tower in Calgary, in western Canada, was also lit up in red for Chinese New Year's Eve and the first day of the New Year.
In South Africa, large screens across Johannesburg aired promotional videos for China Media Group (CMG)'s 2026 Spring Festival Gala, while the Confucius Institute at Durban University of Technology hosted a series of cultural activities to celebrate the Year of the Horse. Participants at the event tried their hands at traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy, as they enjoyed the festive spirit and traditions of the Chinese New Year.
Landmark buildings around world lit up in red for Chinese New Year
