Stand in the Glow of Chang'an Avenue on October 1
It is just past dusk on the first day of October, and Chang'an Avenue is a river of light. Red lanterns strung between the trees sway in the same breeze that carries the smell of roasting chestnuts and grilled lamb skewers from the stalls lining the side streets. Somewhere ahead, a brass band is tuning up. Around you, thousands of people — families with children on shoulders, couples in matching red scarves, groups of friends waving small flags — are all moving in the same direction, toward the celebrations that mark the founding of the People's Republic. This is National Day in Beijing, and the city does not hold back.
The holiday period — which in 2026 runs alongside the Mid-Autumn Festival — is when Beijing stages its largest annual programme of cultural and tourism activities. The Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau has announced over 2,000 events across the city's districts, with 60 featured activities in five categories: cultural performances, autumn sightseeing, food markets, traditional culture and intangible cultural heritage, and sports. Here is how to spend your days.
Opera, Concerts and the Canal Arts Festival
Two anchor events define the season's cultural calendar. The 10th Chinese Opera Culture Week runs from September 29 to October 5 at Beijing Garden Expo Park. It is not a passive experience: you can watch opera performances, try opera makeup for yourself, attend concerts and poetry recitals, browse markets, and take part in technology-enhanced activities that bring the tradition into the present. The park itself, with its gardens and pavilions, makes a full day of it.
Earlier in the season, the 4th Beijing International Canal Arts Fest takes over Canal Culture Square in Tongzhou district from September 24 to 27. Fourteen performing groups from 13 countries will give 22 performances, and a market runs alongside with food, cultural and creative products, and interactive activities. If you are in the city in late September, this is the event to build a day around.
Beyond these headline events, the city has 419 commercial performance productions on sale, with 1,775 performances scheduled across the holiday period. Theatres, concert halls and smaller venues across the city will be busy — book ahead if you have a specific show in mind.
Markets, Moon-Viewing and Folk Traditions
The Mid-Autumn Festival falls within this holiday window, and Beijing marks it with events that are as much about atmosphere as spectacle. The Lugou Dawn Moon Mid-Autumn Culture Festival centres on poetry events — the kind of gathering where verses are recited under the open sky. Moon-viewing events, lantern displays, traditional handicrafts and folk activities take place at the Beijing Folklore Museum, Shougang Park and Fragrant Hills Park. Each venue has its own character: the Folklore Museum for a deep dive into custom, Shougang Park for the contrast of industrial architecture against lantern light, and Fragrant Hills for the open sky and autumn air.
Food markets are one of the five featured categories in the city's official programme, so follow your nose. The Canal Arts Fest market in Tongzhou and the markets at the Opera Culture Week in Beijing Garden Expo Park are the two most concrete opportunities the sources name. Beyond those, the city's public cultural service institutions — more than 430 activities in total — include handicraft workshops, lectures and exhibitions, many of which are free or low-cost and spread across neighbourhoods rather than concentrated in the centre.
Autumn Routes Beyond the Centre
National Day coincides with the start of Beijing's best season, and the city has laid out routes to get you out of the urban core. Ten themed routes follow the Great Wall, and ten more explore the cultural heritage of the Grand Canal. For a slower pace, 20 suburban tourism routes offer boutique homestays, village cafes, harvest activities, traditional handicrafts and night tours. In the rural districts, autumn flower and foliage viewing, fruit picking and local food events are all part of the programme.
These routes are designed to be done at your own pace, but the harvest activities and fruit picking are seasonal — go early in the holiday period if you want the full range. The Grand Canal routes connect naturally with the Canal Arts Fest in Tongzhou, so you can pair a day of performances with a walk along the water.
Practical Notes for the Holiday
The city strengthens holiday services and safety measures during this period, and promotes responsible tourism — expect crowds at major sites and plan your transport accordingly. Digital tools are part of the official programme: Baidu Maps offers AI recommendations and navigation to featured venues, Didi is issuing travel coupons, and Trip.com Group has Beijing travel guides and promotional products. Use them to find your way to the 60 featured activities and the wider programme.
October 1 itself is the focal point for public celebration, with the largest crowds and the most extensive street-level activity. If you want the full sensory experience — the lights, the music, the food stalls — that is the night to be out. For opera, markets and moon-viewing, the days around it are equally rich.
Start With a Date and a Direction
Book your travel and accommodation early, because this is the busiest holiday period in the Beijing calendar. Decide whether you want the crowd energy of Chang'an Avenue on October 1, the opera and markets of Beijing Garden Expo Park from September 29 to October 5, or the international performances at Canal Culture Square from September 24 to 27. Then pick a suburban route for the days in between. The city has laid out more than 2,000 ways to spend the holiday — your only task is to choose where to begin.