# Beijing Festivals & Seasons: A Month-by-Month Calendar > Temple fairs at Spring Festival, lantern festivals, cherry blossom, autumn leaves and the National Day crush — what happens when, and how to plan around it. _Category: itinerary · Reading time: 5 min read_ Beijing runs on two calendars: the solar one and the lunar one. Most of its best events — temple fairs, lantern festivals, Mid-Autumn — follow the lunar calendar, so the dates move every year. This guide is a season-by-season map of what actually happens, with 2026 dates as a worked example, plus how to plan around the two weeks you should avoid (National Day and Spring Festival peak). ## Spring Festival temple fairs (春节庙会) The biggest event on the Beijing calendar. Fairs run from Lunar New Year's Day to the seventh day, roughly 08:30–17:30 depending on the venue. In 2026 that fell on 17–23 February. Expect crowds, street food, folk performances and free calligraphy blessings. - **地坛 Temple Fair** — The classic. Themed on ritual and music, with a re-created ancient 'earth sacrifice' performance daily around 9:00–9:30, folk flower shows and old-Beijing street-crier parades. 2026: 17–23 Feb, 08:30–17:00. - **龙潭 Temple Fair** — The louder, younger one: robot performances, AR check-ins, a 'mecha dragon king' parade and 270+ food and craft stalls; the park's ice-and-snow festival runs alongside. 2026: 17–23 Feb, 08:30–17:00. - **厂甸 Temple Fair** — Over 400 years old, a national intangible-heritage item and Beijing's only 'literary' fair — held on Liulichang's East and West streets with a hundred-metre river of poetry lanterns and free handwritten 'fu' (blessing) characters from calligraphers. 2026: 17–23 Feb, 10:00–17:30. - **Other fairs** — Dongyue Temple fair (Beijing Folk Custom Museum), Badachu and Dadu (indoor, ticketed) also run over the same week. Check the year's official listings before you go. ## Lantern Festival (元宵节) The fifteenth day of the first lunar month closes Spring Festival with lanterns and tangyuan (sweet rice balls). - **Where to go** — Qianmen and Dashilan, the Beijing Garden Expo Park lantern fair, and major parks all stage lantern displays around the date. - **What to eat** — Tangyuan / yuanxiao — glutinous rice balls with sweet sesame or red-bean filling, sold everywhere that week. - **Timing** — The date moves each year (it follows the lunar calendar) — look it up for your travel year rather than trusting a fixed date. ## Spring: blossom and Qingming March to May is short, mild and beautiful — and the sweet spot before summer heat. - **Cherry blossom** — Yuyuantan Park's cherry blossoms are the city's spring ritual, roughly late March to April; go on a weekday morning. - **Temple flowers** — The Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace fill with spring blossoms from late March; both pair well with a flat walk. - **Qingming (early April)** — A 3-day holiday — parks and transport get busy, so book trains early. ## Autumn: the red-leaf season Beijing's best season. Cool, dry, clear — and the hills turn red. - **Fragrant Hills / Xiangshan** — The famous red-leaf spot. Colour usually builds from mid-October and peaks late October into early November; go on a weekday and start early, because the crowds are serious. - **Alternatives to Xiangshan** — Pofengling and the Mutianyu Great Wall give you autumn colour with fewer people — Mutianyu pairs red leaves with the Wall. - **Best city walking** — October is also the best month for simply walking the hutongs and the central axis. ## Mid-Autumn & National Day Two very different reasons to plan carefully. - **Mid-Autumn (15th day of 8th lunar month)** — Mooncakes everywhere, family reunions, and parks lit for moon-viewing. A lovely, low-key festival to be in town for. - **National Day (1–7 October)** — The Golden Week. Every major sight is at capacity and hotel prices spike — if your dates are flexible, avoid it; if not, book tickets and hotels far in advance and go to sights at opening time. - **Labour Day (1–5 May)** — A smaller but still serious crush; same tactics apply. ## Winter: ice, snow and New Year Cold, dry and underrated — with the city's emptiest sights. - **Ice skating** — Shichahai and other park lakes open natural ice rinks when cold enough (usually January); the Summer Palace's frozen lake is a classic sight. - **Ice & snow festivals** — Longtan Park runs a snow festival alongside its temple fair, and Nanshan / Chongli ski areas are a couple of hours away. - **Why come in winter** — Clear light, low prices, and the Forbidden City and Great Wall almost empty — dress for dry cold around or below freezing. ## How to plan around a festival Practical rules that save the day: - **Lunar dates move** — Spring Festival, Lantern Festival and Mid-Autumn follow the lunar calendar — the solar date changes every year. Always check that year's dates. - **Trust official listings** — The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism publishes the Spring Festival event table each year; use it instead of last year's blog post. - **Avoid the peaks** — If your trip can move, skip 1–7 October and Spring Festival week; if it can't, book everything early and sightsee at opening time. - **Pay & crowd** — Fairs are cash-free in practice — have Alipay/WeChat Pay working, and keep your passport on you for park checkpoints. ## Festival checklist - **Check the year's dates** — Lunar holidays shift — confirm before booking flights or trains. - **Book ahead in Golden Week** — Trains, hotels and timed-entry tickets sell out days in advance. - **Go at opening** — Fairs and sights are calmest in the first hour. - **Have payment ready** — Alipay/WeChat Pay working before you arrive at the fair gate. ## Where to stay **KOULING Ruiyue Hotel** — 5m from Guogongzhuang Metro Station · 9.6/10 · US$26 View hotel: https://12001.net/hotels/ruiyue/ KOULING Ruiyue is 5 metres from Guogongzhuang Metro (Line 9 / Fangshan Line), rated 9.6/10, rooms from US$26. Being on the metro matters most in festival weeks, when roads jam and timed-entry slots run out — you can still reach the fairs and parks on schedule. ## Where to stay **KOULING Hotel Beijing Donggaodi** — 7 min walk to Wufutang Metro Station (Line 8) · 9.4/10 · US$19 View hotel: https://12001.net/hotels/donggaodi/ KOULING Donggaodi has free laundry and parking, a 7-minute walk to Wufutang Metro (Line 8), rooms from US$19, rated 9.4/10. Line 8 puts you on the city's north–south spine, handy for reaching parks and temple-fair venues without a taxi. --- Source: https://12001.net/guides/beijing-festivals-seasons/ © KOULING Hotels