[Photo via VCG]
As 2025 draws to a close, how will you celebrate and remember this year? In Beijing, the celebrations for the coming year will run from December 21, 2025, to January 3, 2026, offering so many events that you're sure to find one that's just right!
New Year's Eve Extravaganza
A Bell and Drums Ring Together
On New Year's Eve, the Yongle Bell will ring inside Dazhong Temple, while the Juyongguan Great Wall will stage a large-scale drum performance. These spectacles will be broadcast live via TV channels of the Beijing Radio and Television Station and relevant online platforms. Multiple business districts and tourist attractions throughout the city will also join to relay the live feed.
[Photo via VCG]
[Photo via VCG]
"New Year's Eve in Museums, Cinemas, and Business Districts" Themed Events
More than 20 museums across the city will stay open until the early hours of January 1 to welcome the new year. Also, 26 of them, including the Capital Museum and the Beijing Planetarium, will host special activities such as the "Museum Time" New Year celebrations and the "Time Travel" themed nighttime sessions.
Nearly 100 cinemas citywide, including the Capital Cinema (Xidan Branch) and the Jackie Chan Cinema (Wukesong Branch), will extend film screening hours and offer a variety of activities such as New Year countdowns on the big screen, discounted movie packages, and lucky draws.
Over 30 shopping venues, such as Longfusi Cultural Creativity Park in Dongcheng District, the Capital Outlets in Fangshan District, the COFCO-Shine Hills in Shunyi District, and Wanda Plaza Yanqing, will host concerts, parties, and other events with extended business hours.
[Photo via VCG]
Other Featured events
From late December 2025 to early January 2026, the city will also launch a series of featured events, including mountain hiking for blessings, winter sports events, New Year concerts, special cultural relic exhibitions, and flower markets.
There will be a set of events for the "first sunrise of the New Year" at the Badaling, Juyongguan, and Mutianyu sections of the Great Wall, and Huayuan Village in Xinchengzi Town, Miyun, among other places. For winter sports enthusiasts, the 2nd Beijing Ski Mountaineering Open will be held, along with nearly 100 themed events such as the Happy Ice and Snow Seasons and winter sports carnivals at venues including the National Stadium, the Yanqing Olympic Zone, Yunju Ski Resort, and Yuyang International Ski Resort.
Over 200 concerts will be launched for the coming year, including the 30th Beijing New Year Concert at the Great Hall of the People and the "Chime of Bell: NCPA New Year's Concert" at the National Centre for the Performing Arts. Additionally, the museums across the city will present more than 60 exhibitions and other cultural events.
[Photo via VCG]
Mini-Program for Public Welfare
For the aforementioned event at Dazhong Temple and the Juyongguan Great Wall, while making prayers for the coming year, participants can also ring the bell and sound the drum virtually through a mini-program, echoing the on-site ceremony. After this online interaction, every participant will receive a public welfare e-card, which can be used to enjoy consumption discounts on designated online platforms, as well as in the participating business districts, museums, and several other venues.
Reminder: The mini-program for public welfare and interaction will be officially launched in late December. Information and guidelines for New Year's Eve activities will also be released gradually. Locals and tourists can obtain details about various events through official channels and media platforms.
Excited? Get ready, then!
(Source: Beijing Daily)
