China Media Group (CMG) announced on Sunday, December 28, 2025, that the 2026 Spring Festival Gala will feature four sub-venues in Harbin, Yiwu, Hefei, and Yibin, marking a significant expansion of China's most-watched annual cultural event. The move aims to showcase regional diversity while strengthening national unity through shared celebrations.
Harbin City in Heilongjiang Province will highlight winter tourism and ice culture, capitalizing on its reputation as "China's Ice City." Yiwu in Zhejiang Province – known as the world's small commodities hub – will emphasize grassroots entrepreneurship and global trade connections. Hefei, Anhui Province's rising tech powerhouse, will spotlight innovation-driven performances, while Yibin in Sichuan Province will integrate traditional liquor culture with Yangtze River ecological themes.
The 2026 gala format builds on recent successful experiments with multi-venue broadcasts, allowing real-time interaction between locations. CMG stated this approach "reflects China's balanced regional development strategy" while giving international audiences deeper insights into the country's cultural and economic diversity.
