Guilin’s events calendar is shaped by the lunar calendar and the region’s ethnic minority cultures. The Zhuang, Yao, Miao, and Dong peoples who live in the surrounding mountains celebrate traditional festivals throughout the year. Most events are free to observe, though some organized cultural performances charge entry. Here are the major annual events and festivals in Guilin, with dates and what to expect at each.
Spring Festivals and Events in Guilin (March to May)
Chinese New Year (Spring Festival)
Dates: Late January or February (dates vary by lunar calendar). The biggest holiday in China transforms Guilin for 7-15 days. Expect fireworks displays over the Li River on New Year’s Eve, red lanterns decorating every street, and temple fairs at Seven Star Park and Jingjiang Prince City with traditional performances, snack stalls, and handicraft markets. The downside: this is the busiest travel period in China. Hotels sell out weeks in advance and prices triple. Most Chinese tourists visit family rather than Guilin specifically, but the city still sees heavy domestic traffic. Many small restaurants close for 3-7 days as staff travel home. Attractions remain open but are crowded. If you visit during Chinese New Year, book everything at least a month ahead.
Lantern Festival
Dates: 15th day of the first lunar month (usually February). Marks the end of Chinese New Year celebrations. In Guilin, the main event is a lantern display along the Two Rivers and Four Lakes area. The Sun and Moon Pagodas are specially illuminated, and locals release floating lanterns on Shan Lake in the evening. Street performances and riddle-solving contests are held in the city center. The best viewing is from the lakeside promenades around 7:00-9:00 PM. Free to observe.
Zhuang Song Festival (San Yue San)
Dates: 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month (usually April). This is the most important traditional festival for the Zhuang people, Guangxi’s largest ethnic minority. Celebrations include antiphonal singing (call-and-response love songs performed by men and women on opposite hillsides), bamboo pole dancing, tossing embroidered balls (a courtship tradition), and preparing five-colored glutinous rice. The best place to experience this is at the Longji Rice Terraces area, particularly in Ping’an and Dazhai villages, where Zhuang and Yao communities hold multi-day celebrations. In Guilin city, cultural performances are staged at Seven Star Park and the Lijiang Folk Customs Park. The festival has been designated an official public holiday in Guangxi since 2014, so expect domestic crowds. Free to observe in villages; organized shows charge CNY 60-120.
Qingming Festival (Tomb Sweeping Day)
Dates: April 4 or 5 (solar term). A three-day national holiday when Chinese families visit ancestral graves to clean them and make offerings. This is primarily a family observance, not a public spectacle, but it means domestic tourism surges for the long weekend. Hotels book up and attractions are busier than usual. It is not a good weekend to visit Guilin if you want to avoid crowds. However, the countryside around the rice terraces is beautiful in early April, with spring growth and flooded paddies.
Guilin Landscape and Culture Tourism Festival
Dates: Late April (dates vary annually). A government-organized tourism promotion festival featuring opening ceremonies with light shows on the Li River, ethnic minority dance and music performances, a food festival showcasing Guangxi cuisine (Guilin rice noodles, beer fish, lipu taro), and discounted entry to major attractions. The exact dates change yearly, typically announced 1-2 months ahead. Events are concentrated around the city center, Elephant Trunk Hill Park, and the Two Rivers and Four Lakes area. Check with your hotel for the current year’s schedule. Most events are free.
Summer Festivals and Events in Guilin (June to August)
Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu Jie)
Dates: 5th day of the 5th lunar month (usually June). Dragon boat races are held on the Li River through central Guilin, typically near the Jiefang Bridge area. Teams of 20-22 paddlers race in long, decorated boats to the beat of drums. The races run from about 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM over one or two days. Spectating from the riverbanks is free. The best viewing spots are along Binjiang Road between Jiefang Bridge and Elephant Trunk Hill. Arrive by 8:30 AM to claim a riverside spot. Traditional zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves) are eaten during the festival and sold everywhere. The festival coincides with hot, rainy weather, so bring an umbrella and water.
Yao Clothes Drying Festival (Shai Yi Jie)
Dates: 6th day of the 6th lunar month (usually July). Celebrated by the Red Yao people in the Longji Rice Terraces area, particularly in Dazhai and Huangluo Yao villages. According to tradition, on this day the Yao sun their red embroidered clothing outside their wooden stilt houses, creating a striking visual across the terraced mountainsides. The event includes Yao women demonstrating their traditional long-hair combing ritual (the Red Yao women are known for hair over 1.5 meters long, cut only once in their lifetime), folk singing, and a community feast. Dazhai village is the main location. Entry to the terraces is CNY 80. The festival draws photographers and Chinese tourists, so book guesthouses in Dazhai 1-2 weeks ahead. The weather in July is hot and humid with afternoon rain likely.
Autumn Festivals and Events in Guilin (September to November)
Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiu Jie)
Dates: 15th day of the 8th lunar month (usually September or early October). A major family reunion holiday celebrated with mooncakes (dense pastries filled with lotus seed paste and salted egg yolk) and lantern displays. In Guilin, the main public celebration is an evening lantern festival around the Two Rivers and Four Lakes. The Sun and Moon Pagodas are illuminated, and floating lanterns are set adrift on the lakes. Locals gather along the riverfront promenades to admire the full moon reflected in the water. The best viewing is from the Binjiang Road walkway or a lakeside restaurant. Mooncakes are sold everywhere starting about one month before the festival in dedicated stalls and supermarkets. The festival is a three-day public holiday, so expect domestic travel crowds. Hotel prices rise 20-40%.
Longji Golden Autumn Festival
Dates: Late September to mid-October (harvest season). Not a single organized event but the period when the Longji Rice Terraces turn golden as the rice ripens, drawing photographers and travelers from around the world. Local villages hold informal celebrations with harvest songs, traditional rice-cutting demonstrations, and markets selling local produce and handicrafts. The terraces are busiest during the first week of October (Golden Week), when domestic tourists swarm the area. For a less crowded experience, visit in the last week of September or the second week of October. Accommodation in Dazhai and Ping’an villages should be booked 2-4 weeks ahead for this period. Photographers should aim for sunrise (around 6:30 AM) when the golden terraces catch the first light.
Winter Festivals and Events in Guilin (December to February)
Guilin Rice Noodle Festival
Dates: Varies (typically November or December). A celebration of Guilin’s most famous dish: mifen (rice noodles). Local restaurants and street vendors set up stalls serving different regional variations including Guilin mifen with marinated beef, horse meat rice noodles (a local specialty), and Luosifen (snail noodles from nearby Liuzhou). There are noodle-eating competitions, cooking demonstrations, and judging panels awarding the city’s best mifen shop. The festival moves locations yearly but is usually held in the city center near Zhengyang Pedestrian Street or the central square. Free entry. Pay CNY 10-25 per bowl from the various vendors. Check locally for the current year’s date as it is not fixed to the lunar calendar.
Dong New Year (Dong Nian)
Dates: Late November to early December (varies by Dong community). Celebrated by the Dong ethnic minority in villages around the Longji area and northern Guangxi. The Dong celebrate their New Year earlier than the Han Chinese, with feasting on sticky rice and pickled fish, polyphonic choir singing (Dong Grand Song, recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage), and lusheng (bamboo pipe) dancing. The celebrations are community-based rather than tourist-organized, so the atmosphere is authentic. The best places to experience Dong New Year are in Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, about 3 hours north of Guilin by road, or at cultural performances arranged through the Longji Rice Terraces guesthouses. This is the low tourism season with cold weather, so accommodation is cheap and crowds are minimal. Dress warmly: village temperatures can drop to 2-5°C (36-41°F).
Practical Tips for Guilin Festivals and Events
- Lunar calendar dates: Most Chinese festivals follow the lunar calendar, so Gregorian dates change each year. Check a lunar calendar converter online before planning your trip around a specific festival.
- Book ahead for major holidays: Chinese New Year, Golden Week (Oct 1-7), and Labor Day (May 1-5) see hotel prices double or triple and availability vanish weeks in advance. Book at least one month ahead for these periods.
- Transport during holidays: Train tickets sell out within minutes of release (usually 15-30 days ahead) during major holidays. Use the 12306 China Railways app or have your hotel book tickets for you.
- Village festivals are weather-dependent: Many Longji-area festivals involve outdoor activities. Rain does not cancel them, but paths become muddy and slippery. Wear sturdy shoes and bring rain gear.
- Photography etiquette: At ethnic minority festivals, always ask before photographing individuals, especially the Red Yao women with their traditional long hair. Some may request a small tip (CNY 10-20) for posed photos.
