People celebrate the Spring Festival at a temple fair in Taierzhuang ancient town in Zaozhuang, Shandong province. [Photo/WeChat account: tezgc2008]

As the Lantern Festival approaches, various regions in Shandong are preparing a rich array of folk activities, including lantern shows, temple fairs and intangible cultural heritage experiences.

Lanterns festivals

This year, Shandong has prepared lantern festivals in a number of locations: the ongoing lantern festival at Baotu Spring Park in Jinan offers a great way to experience the New Year; the Yantai Mountain Scenic Area in Yantai has specially displayed a fairy tale-themed lantern display; Jimo ancient town has adorned its majestic city wall with many magnificent lanterns; and in Binzhou, the  Yellow River Tower is aglow with lights, while immersive experiences, folk performances and various market areas are also on offer.

Experiencing local customs

The 12th Taierzhuang Ancient Town Temple Fair in Zaozhuang includes an intangible cultural heritage exhibition and offers visitors the chance to dress up in traditional clothing, among other exiting activities.

Meanwhile, at the Spring Festival temple fair in the Red Sorghum Film and Television City in Gaomi, Weifang, visitors can not only enjoy folk performances and intangible cultural heritage exhibitions, but also watch immersive plays and take part in interactive activities such as throwing embroidered balls and horseback archery.

In Weihai, visitors can enjoy circus performances, acrobatics and delicious food, visit ancient temples to pray for peace, and visit folk markets as well as  dragon-themed areas in celebration of the Year of the Dragon.

Exploring centennial festivals

On the day of the Lantern Festival, traditional festivals will take place in various parts of Shandong. After a four-year hiatus, the Qingdao Radish Lantern and Lantern Ball Festival is returning this year with three events: a sugar ball competition, radish carving competition and lantern making competition.

For fans of traditional performing arts, the 800-year-old Binzhou Huji Book Meeting from Feb 21 to 25 is not to be missed, featuring various intangible cultural heritage performances such as Shandong drumming, Qinshu and Kuaishu.