Top 9 Beijing Spring Festival Temple Fairs

Temple Fairs are a staple event in the annual festivities surrounding the Spring Festival.

Temple fairs, or miàohuì, were used to being events of worship during which people could go to pray for happiness, peace, and luck. In the centuries, this tradition was widened and now is celebrated also in parks.

1. Ditan Park

One of the first that has been restored in the city is always a popular choice thanks to its picturesque location at the heart of the district of Dongcheng.

The fair highlights local customs, and folk traditions and puts on stage the diverse ethnic minorities of China. If you want to try Chinese traditional meals, buy arts and crafts, or attend a show, the Ditan Park Fair has an answer for everything. And if the crowd becomes too oppressive there is the opportunity to rest among pines for a breath of fresh air.

• Price: RMB 10
• Address: Ditan Park, 2 Andingmen Wai Dajie, Dongcheng District, Beijing (北京 东城区 安定门外大街 2 号, 地坛公园)
• Transportation: Take the subway line 2 from Yonghegong (Lama Temple) or Andingmen or line 5 in Yonghegong Hepingli or Beijie.
• Telephone: 010 6421 6870

2. Beijing Lotus Park

The Lotus Park Temple Fair began in 2000 and combines national customs, history, and modern culture in a single crazy event: dance, traditional opera, flowers, and acrobatics. Throughout the fair, you can also get clothes, popular arts and crafts, jade articles, old Beijing food, and further bric-a-brac.

It is located in the Feng-Tai District of Beijing; located next to the Beijing West Railroad Station.

• Price: RMB 10
• Address: 48 Lianhuachi Lu, Fengtai District, Beijing (北京市 丰台区 莲花池路48号, 莲花池公园)
• Transportation: Take the subway line 9 at the station West of Beijing
• Telephone: 010 6336 1709

3. Longtan Park

An annual rendezvous since 1984, Longtan Park Fair includes street food and an attractive range of snacks. It offers an excellent opportunity to learn more about Beijing and its local customs. Take a candied fruit and enjoy the festivities!

Doubtless the biggest fair in Beijing. Longtan Park is a very beautiful and relaxing park, which becomes very vivacious during the fair. Why not participate in one or the other of the diverse organized competitions of chess? Other sports activities, such as judo or boxing will attract a lot of people as well.

• Price: RMB 10
• Address: 8 Longtan Lu, district de Dongcheng, Beijing (北京市 东城区 龙潭路8号, 龙潭公园)
• Transportation: Take No. 6, 8, 12, 60, 116, 684, 750, 958 Bus at Longtan Park bus station  
• Telephone: 010 6714 4310

4. Beijing International Sculpture Park

The Beijing International Sculpture Park Temple Fair takes place in the east part of the park and presents a flower show, traditional entertainment offers Beijing food, waterfalls, traditional circus shows, and a dance stage.

• Price: RMB 10
• Address: Sculpture Park, Shijingshan District, 2 Shijingshan Lu, Beijing (地址: 北京市 石景山区 石景山路2号, 北京国际雕塑公园)
• Transportation: Take the subway line 1 at Yuquan Lu station

5. Baiyunguan Temple Fair

This fair is a buzz of colors, traditional dances, and culture, which is worth seeing. Samples of diverse snacks are freshly prepared with typical local flavors.

• Address: Baiyunguan, Xibianmenwai, Xicheng District.
• Transportation: Bus 320, 414 to White Cloud stop, or bus 114, 308, and 937 to Baiyunlu.

6. Olympic Park Temple Fair

Here you can practice various sports, such as yoga, boxing or rock climbing, under the instructions of a coach.

• Price: free
• Address: Olympic Park, Beichen Lu, Chaoyang District.
• Transportation: Subway line 8, stop at Olympic Green.

7. Honglou Temple Fair at Daguan Garden

Daguan Garden has been organizing temple fairs since 1997. This temple fair gives attention to the “red mansion” culture, which mainly refers to the role of concubines during imperial times. To reflect this, the fair’s main emphasis is “The Homecoming Imperial Concubine”, a performance based on a story from the novel “A Dream of Red Mansions”. Other attractions at the fair include flower displays, traditional performances, and snacks from all over China.

• Price: RMB 40
• Address: 12 Nancaiyuan Jie, Xicheng District, Beijing (北京市西城区南菜园街12号)
• Transportation: take bus No. 53, 59, 63, 84, 122, 458, 474, 717, 特12路内环, 运通102 to Daguanyuan stop

8. Royal Temple Fair at the Old Summer Palace

Temple fairs played an important role during the Qing Dynasty and this temple fair reveals an imperial marketplace, songs, dance, and other time-honored performances, imperial culture exhibitions, and more.

This is the best event to live a fair as it was during imperial times, what kind of clothes the imperial family would wear eat, and how they would entertain themselves.

• Price: RMB 10
• Address: 28 Qinghua Xilu, Haidian District, Beijing (北京市海淀区清华西路28号)
• Transportation: take bus No. 365, 432, 562, 614, 656, 664, 681, 717, 982, 特4路, 运通105, 运通205 to Yuanmingyuan Dongmen stop

9. Temple of Heaven Park Temple Fair

Temple of Heaven Park’s temple fair is singular to others in that the event concentrates almost exclusively on heaven-worshipping performances. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests will also feature exhibitions paying homage to the park’s rich history and imperial music.

• Price: RMB 40
• Address: 1 Tiantan Park, Dongcheng District, Beijing (北京市东城区天坛路甲1号)
• Transportation: take bus No. 2, 17, 20, 35, 69, 71, 504, 626, 707, 729, 特11, 专30 to Tiantan Ximen stop