A City Brimming with Joy and Spectacular Performances Create a Grand New Year's Gala
Qingdao launches New Year's Eve parties, drone shows, and music carnivals to create a rich festive atmosphere.
As the New Year's bells draw near, a city-wide New Year's extravaganza catering to all ages and integrating culture, tourism, and consumption is now underway.
From seaside romance to the ancient charm of old towns, from firework and lantern shows to music parties… On the night of December 31, 2025, various districts and cities in Qingdao simultaneously kicked off joyous and peaceful New Year's celebrations. A rich array of activities, including countdown parties, bell-ringing in the ancient city, drone performances, and music carnivals, were launched. These diverse performances defined the city's New Year celebrations, allowing citizens and tourists to capture the warmth and joy of the new year amidst melodies and dazzling lights.
Songs and Laughter to Welcome the New Year
As evening lights begin to shine, the Dabaodao Historical and Cultural Block is a scene of dazzling lights and bustling crowds. Citizens and tourists stroll through the streets, stopping at creative interactive installations to snap photos or searching for treasures at the "Starlight Market." Laughter and the melodious tunes of street performers intertwine, setting the stage for a grand New Year celebration.
The real excitement began at 6:30 p.m. as the music party at Guangxingli kicked off on schedule. Talented local singers, popular cosplayers, professional dance troupes, and top DJs took the stage one after another, filling the night with non-stop music, dance, and prize draws. Waves of roaring music and soaring spirits engulfed the entire block in a sleepless carnival. Meanwhile, the "25th Hour" concert at Sanxingli also began, featuring phenomenal hits from the Chinese pop music scene from 2001 to 2025. People stepped into the new year amidst songs and memories.
One act followed another without pause. At Golden Sand Beach Beer City, the 2026 "Xiaozao" Music Carnival was igniting passion with music and bidding farewell to the old year with a bash. Three stages were set up, and from December 31, 2025, to January 2, 2026, 33 heavy rock bands from across the country will perform in rotation, delivering 8 hours of high-energy shows daily. In addition to music, a rock market was set up, featuring over 40 food, drink, and cultural creative stalls. Inside Beer Tent No. 5, an exhibition of "Xiaozao" musical instruments and band merchandise was held, with several well-known brands setting up interactive booths. The interweaving of music, food, and culture created a diverse and integrated cultural tourism experience, offering music fans, citizens, and tourists a continuous and immersive New Year's feast.
On the evening of December 31, 2025, Austria's Vienna Voice Symphony Orchestra presents a splendid New Year's concert to the citizens at the Qingdao Grand Theatre Concert Hall.
"Watching the sunset while listening to music to welcome the new year feels incredibly fulfilling and warm." On the afternoon of December 31, 2025, the "Warm South" New Year's party, a themed event of the Shinan District Orange Sea Music Corner, officially kicked off at the outdoor plaza of Jinmao Bay Shopping Center, attracting numerous shoppers and tourists. Leveraging its unique spatial layout that integrates mountains, sea, city, and bay, Shinan District has created an immersive urban music corner that combines audiovisual enjoyment, public services, social check-ins, consumer experiences, and public welfare advocacy. Under the winter sun, citizens and tourists enjoyed the charming scenery, visited the public services fair, and savored a cultural "feast," welcoming the new year together with songs and laughter.
A succession of artistic performances presented a brilliant mix of pop and classical music. Laoshan District held its 2026 "Welcome the New Year" cultural event—a special choir concert. Structured in four chapters themed around childhood, youth, warmth, and hope, the event used rich artistic expression to create a strong New Year spirit, highlighting Laoshan's cultural characteristics and patriotic sentiments, and presenting a New Year's feast that combined traditional festive charm with modern vitality for a diverse audience of citizens and tourists.
Brilliant Lights for a Bright New Journey
On the evening of December 31, 2025, at the ancient county government (Yamen) scenic area in Jimo Ancient City, red lanterns along the streets lit up one by one. The warm red light spread along the streets, tinting even the night sky with the festive spirit of the New Year. As the countdown to the new year began, the clear and melodious sound of a mallet striking a bronze bell echoed over the ancient city. Citizens and tourists who came to pray for blessings for the new year stopped in their tracks, some recording the unforgettable moment with their phones, others closing their eyes and silently making their New Year's wishes.
In contrast to the elegant New Year's atmosphere hidden in the worldly hustle and bustle of Jimo Ancient City, the Qingdao Shan-Hai-Jian Everbright City theme block premiered Qingdao's first large-scale mythology-themed live-action show, "Era of Divine Fire." The show perfectly blended Eastern aesthetic concepts with contemporary artistic expression, offering citizens and tourists a cultural and tourism feast for the New Year that was both culturally rich and joyfully celebrated. As the nation's first immersive cultural and tourism block themed on the Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shan Hai Jing), the area welcomed guests on December 31, 2025, with new scenes, major projects, and colorful events. It not only launched the "Era of Divine Fire" but also linked six core projects including the "Mysterious Mountains and Seas" free lantern festival, the Mingyue Shan-Hai-Jian Everbright City, and an international circus, creating an all-ages entertainment matrix. This initiative helps to revitalize the "Trendy Life, Night Chengyang" city brand and promotes the synergistic advancement of Qingdao's nighttime economy and cultural soft power. (By Cao Sen, Yu Ruixin, Wang Kai, Yi Tao, Wang Tao, Zhou Wei / Qingdao Daily; Guan Hai News; Photo by Wang Lei)
Editor: Yuan Ruichen
