[2025 Nanjing ] Travel Guide for The 39th Qinhuai Lantern Festival (Updated Apr)
Festivals
Watching lanterns during the Spring Festival is a traditional custom in old Nanjing. Tracing the origin of this custom, people often mention the Ming Dynasty painting "Shangyuan Lanterns". In the bustling streets, there are various lanterns hanging, such as lotus, pumpkin, crab, dragon and phoenix, unicorn, and longevity crane, with different shapes and lifelike. This picture reproduces the grand scene of the Qinhuai River Lantern Market in ancient times, reflecting the ten miles of colorful lights from ancient times to the present. Qinhuai Lantern FestivalAlso known asJinling Lantern Festival, Confucius Temple Lantern Festival, is, it is also the longest-lasting, most-participated and largest folk lantern festival in China。
The 39th Qinhuai Lantern Festival Address:
南京市夫子廟景區(白鷺洲水上舞台)
I found the inn from the poem "Mooring by the Maple Bridge at Night" in my Chinese textbook!
When the drones light up the night sky, the Suzaku lantern array rises from the city wall of Laomendong, immersing you in a thousand years of history. This is the right way to experience the Qinhuai Lantern Festival! I finally understand what "a night of trees ablaze with blossom" means! This year's lantern festival features the theme of "Six Dynasties Ancient Charm + Metaverse Light and Shadow," which even amazes the locals:
- **Confucius Temple Main Venue**: The 40-meter-long "Prosperous Dragon" lantern array spirals along the Qinhuai River, accompanied by the "Twelve Beauties of Jinling" AR projection, as if the characters from Dream of the Red Chamber have walked out of the book!
- **Laomendong Easter Egg**: Pass through the "Ming City Wall Lantern Gate" and suddenly see countless Kongming lanterns floating above your head. You can even "light up" the lanterns and make a wish! (This interactive installation is a hidden feature that 99% of visitors don't know about!)
**Exclusive Tips:**
✅ Best viewing time: The lights turn on at 18:00, but the crowd surges after 19:30! It's recommended to visit the lesser-known lantern displays in Bailuzhou Park at 16:30, where there are fewer people and better photo opportunities.
✅ Free experience: Show your ID card to get a "Lantern Festival Passport." Collect 5 stamps to exchange for limited edition cultural and creative products from Zhuangyuanlou Hotel! (The rabbit year lantern badge is a must-have for Mo Zai!)
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**2. Must-visit cyber national style experience, guaranteed to be the star of your social media!**
- **Metaverse Lantern Boat**: Scan the code to unlock AR navigation. As the boat sails along the Qinhuai River, the dynamic scroll of "Prosperous Southern Capital" automatically appears on both banks, even grandparents exclaim "high-tech!"
- **Intangible Cultural Heritage Handicraft Workshop**: Make lotus lanterns and paint Jinling folding fans with your kids (taught by intangible cultural heritage inheritors!). Mo Zai painted a "mechanical dragon" on a lantern, and the teacher praised his creativity!
- **Hanfu Pop-up Store**: Rent Ming-style Hanfu and makeup for 99 yuan. When taking "time-travel" photos at Wuyi Lane, passersby asked if we were NPCs from the lantern festival!
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**3. Local's secret route: One-stop guide for eating, playing, and taking photos**
**Crowd-avoiding route:**
Zhan Garden Road entrance → Bailuzhou "Poetry Lantern Corridor" (perfect for portrait photos!) → Wende Bridge to see the main lantern reflection → Top floor of the Imperial Examination Museum for panoramic photos → Turn into Chaoku Street for firewood wontons
(Hand-drawn map included, marking lesser-known photo spots and restroom locations, full of thoughtfulness!)
**Food recommendations:**
🔥 Lianhu Cake Shop's red bean glutinous rice balls with lantern festival limited "dragon beard candy," sweet and sticky enough to make your heart tremble!
🔥 Qifangge's duck oil pastry + Qinhuai Eight Delicacies snack set, only 30 yuan per person to eat your fill!
🔥 Hidden menu: Ask the owner for "lantern festival special rice wine," chilled and paired with plum blossom cake, it's a perfect match!
WanderingVistas
This year's lantern festival is very lively. Come here to watch the Qinhuai Lantern Festival!
The annual Qinhuai Lantern Festival is here again. This year, Nanjing Baihezhou Park is the main venue of the Qinhuai Lantern Festival. The lantern festival here is the most lively, with all kinds of lanterns. At night, the whole park is brightly lit, every place has surprises. Even the trees are full of various small lanterns.
From the park out of no hurry, follow the exit to the Confucius Temple inside, there are all kinds of lanterns along the way, this year the Confucius Temple lantern festival is really great, enter the Confucius Temple scenic area remember to make an appointment in advance, otherwise the most lively look inside, good looking is really good looking, people are really many [Sob] everyone travel to pay attention to safety [Cute]
CQ. Becca 25
2025 Nanjing Qinhuai Lantern Festival: What will the ceiling of the Chinese Lantern Festival look like?
During the 2025 Spring Festival, Nanjing once again welcomed the annual Qinhuai Lantern Festival. This year marks the 39th Qinhuai Lantern Festival.
With the accumulated experience of 39 sessions, it is undoubtedly the big brother of China Lantern Festival!
So by looking at the Lantern Festival in Nanjing, you can get a feel for what the ceiling of Lantern Festival lanterns is.
[Cute]
The main venue of the Nanjing Qinhuai Lantern Festival remains in Bailuzhou Park as in previous years.
Tickets are required to enter the Lantern Festival at Bailuzhou Park.
The daytime ticket to Bailuzhou Park is 50 yuan, and the ticket for the evening lantern festival is 98 yuan. Children and people over 60 years old are half price.
There are also two other lantern festival venues in Confucius Temple and Laomendong, which are open to the public free of charge.
[Yeah]
Of course, the most beautiful lantern festival is at Bailuzhou Park.
Bailuzhou Park is a water park with flowing water, gardens and lawns, pavilions and towers, and beautiful scenery everywhere.
Beautiful colored lights are interspersed throughout, decorating the bright night.
[TeaDrinker]