A comprehensive guide to Spring Festival fairs in Suzhou

As Spring Festival nears, check out this comprehensive guide to Spring Festival fairs across the city.

Guanqian Street New Year Fair观前街

January 24-February 12

The fair boasts traditional Suzhou delicacies and special booths of paper-cuts, Chinese knots, couplets, and handicrafts.

On February 2, performers dressed up as gods of fortune will be seen giving out red packets and sending good luck and blessings to people around Guanqian Street.

Spring Festival Intangible Cultural Heritage Market苏州中心商场

Till February 16

The market features crafts of 25 intangible cultural heritage (ICH) items, special authentic snacks, and lantern riddle guessing games. Exquisite rabbit lamps, kite-shaped paper-made lanterns, sachets, calligraphy, seal carving, and paper-cuts denote auspicious meanings. ICH items, including traditional balm, embroidery, carving, silk weaving, wood carving, colored drawings, and lacquer fans, manifest the charm of traditional culture.

Spring Festival Temple Fair渔家村

January 29 to February 16

With over 30 booths, the temple fair is aimed at building itself into a feast combining performances, fairs, ICH experience, and entertainment. A variety of snacks and goods, along with food and drink, will be available at the fair. A slew of dazzling performances, including Dunhuang mural dances, Tang Dynasty Show, acrobatics, lion dances, and dragon dances, along with parades featuring performers dressed up in costumes of 12 Chinese animal signs, will leave audiences in awe.

The temple fair is held in the village.Tickets are available on-site.

Year of the Snake ICH Fair阳澄湖1971仓坊

Till February 12

During holidays and on weekends, assorted culinary delights and cultural creative products, including crab-apple cakes, traditional Beijing-style sugar-coated haws on a stick, sugar paintings, and Legos, among others, are offered at the fair with a sweet and joyous atmosphere.

Shazhou Joyous Fair沙洲优黄文化园

January 29 to February 4

The fair provides special offerings such as Shazhou Youhuang (Chinese yellow wine) and local fabrics.

Traditional cultural performances of stunning acrobatics and martial arts and showcases of ICH handicrafts will also be a major draw.

Changshu New Year Fair方塔园虞山公园沙家浜尚湖

January 25 to February 12

Based on traditional Chinese Spring Festival folk customs, the Changshu fair is a combination of ICH folk customs, performances, sports, music, and food. A wide range of activities such as lion dances and praying for blessings will bring the charm of traditional Chinese New Year to visitors who can buy Spring Festival provisions at the fair.

Beyond those, the Taicang New Year Culture and Tourism Fair and Kunshan New Year Flower and Coffee Fair have opened to the public. More fairs and events with a strong festive vibe will be rolled out in the city. Stay tuned.