This year, the Sugar Ball Fair, absent for four years, returned with a new look. On February 18th, the 2024 Qingdao Turnip• Yuanxiao• Sugar Ball Fair kicked off in Dabaodao Cultural Leisure Block. The sound of gongs and drums shook the sky, the intangible cultural heritage folklore performances dazzled people, and the delicacies from worldwide whetted people's appetites. The block was packed with people, and citizens and tourists scrambled to come to feast their mouths and eyes on the event. A citizen lamented that today is the beginning of the New Year!

From February 18th to 25th, 43 thematic activities in four major sections and more than 200 community folk cultural activities will be staged at various venues, including Dabaodao, Taidong Pedestrian Street, and Haiyunan.

As one of China's top ten folk festivals and a provincial intangible cultural heritage in Shandong, the Sugar Ball Fair is the oldest and grandest folk festival in Qingdao. A sea of people, various delicious food, rich cultural exhibitions and excellent performances characterize it. Every Qingdao resident has a "famous scene" in their mind that belongs to the Sugar Ball Fair.

(By Yang Jiming)