To burnish Huai'an's brand image as a "UNESCO City of Gastronomy" and a "National Historical and Cultural City," the Huai'an Municipal People's Government will hold the 2026 Huai'an Grand Canal Cities Intangible Cultural Heritage and Tourism Festival from September 24 to October 20, which runs through October 20. This event uses intangible cultural heritage as a medium to drive the integrated development of culture, commerce, tourism, and sports. On September 23, the Huai'an Municipal People's Government held a press conference to announce the overall format, distinctive highlights, and series of activities of the 2026 Festival.
Focusing on benefiting the public, stimulating consumption, and empowering brands, this year's Festival establishes a multi-dimensional framework featuring "traffic generation from a main venue, coordination across seven major sections, and multi-point coverage across the entire municipality." As the main venue event, the Huai'an stop of the "Enjoying Intangible Cultural Heritage Along the Grand Canal in Jiangsu" and the 2026 Huai'an Grand Canal Cities Intangible Cultural Heritage Fair will take place from October 1 to 3 in Chaxiang (Tea Alley), Hexia Ancient Town, Huai'an District. Bringing together over 100 high-quality representative intangible cultural heritage items from the eight provinces and municipalities along the canal, including Liaoning, the event will feature nine themed sections, including the Canal Grand Street Banquet, Craft Workshop, and Canal Food Fair, along with over 110 premium booths. The event will distribute an estimated RMB 200,000 in consumer vouchers to benefit the public. It features four highlights: culinary culture, culture-tourism integration, public-benefit promotions, and AI empowerment. In addition, the event will offer residents and tourists a one-stop experience of Huai'an's diverse intangible cultural heritage charms.
From September 24 to October 20, the city will roll out the "Six Entrances Bringing Radiance" series under the Intangible Cultural Heritage Shopping Month. This activity will bring intangible cultural heritage resources into communities, scenic spots, campuses, commercial districts, historic areas, and rural cultural squares. Tailoring initiatives to local conditions, various counties and districts are launching featured activities such as freshwater lake cuisine, public-benefit bazaars, traditional opera performances, and cultural and creative product fairs, delivering intangible cultural heritage benefits and cultural services directly to people's doorsteps.
Empowerment through public culture continues to gain momentum. Starting in October, the Huai'an Museum will reopen to the public with a refreshed look, presenting high-end public-interest exhibitions such as the Exhibition of Bronzes in Huai'an Collections and the Wu Weishan Sculpture Art Exhibition, while concurrently launching intangible cultural heritage craft workshops. Public cultural and sports venues across the city are holding the "Nourishing Huai'an with Culture" series, featuring Grand Canal-themed study tours and parent-child intangible cultural heritage activities in succession, thereby weaving a closely knit public cultural service network that links municipal and county levels and covers the entire region to benefit the public.
The city is rolling out consumption-boosting measures at scale. Since September 22 and running through October 20, Huai'an has been staging the "Joyful Shopping in the Golden Autumn" series, with core commercial clusters rolling out diversified events including night carnivals, traditional Chinese-style performances, and trendy pop-up markets. During the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, three types of cultural tourism vouchers—scenic spot admission, secondary in-park spending, and hotel accommodations—will be issued via the "Huiyou Huai'an" mini-program. This initiative closely links with the provincial "New Consumption in Jiangsu · Shopping Fair in the Golden Autumn" carnival to ignite a municipality-wide consumption boom.
Mass cultural performances and fitness-for-all activities are gaining traction in tandem. From September 25 to October 20, the "Sharing Elegant Charm" autumn mass cultural performance series will deliver an ongoing lineup of highlights, with professional troupes performing directly in primary-level rural communities. Concurrently, the "Vibrant Canal" public sports series will be in full swing, featuring free or low-cost admission to public sports venues. The "2026 Jiangsu-Huai'an Sports Dance Open Invitational" will be staged at Xiyou World of Adventure, further integrating sports with culture and tourism.
As the main venue host, Huai'an District is rolling out comprehensive and considerate services. During the National Day holiday, internal parking lots of Huai'an District's Party and government departments, public institutions, and state-owned enterprises will open to tourists free of charge. A free shuttle loop connecting attractions in the ancient town will be launched, along with the "Let Me Share Huai'an with You" volunteer docent service, 100 featured artistic performances, and extended operating hours at major scenic spots. Additionally, the district is holding a "Explore the Ancient Town, Scan the Receipt, Win the Grand Prize" campaign, where any single receipt of RMB 200 or more qualifies for a lucky draw with a grand prize of a car. A rapid-response mechanism is also in place, guaranteeing a response within 10 minutes and a reply within 30 minutes to tourist inquiries and complaints.
This year's Festival adheres to the philosophy of shaping tourism with culture, boosting business through tourism, and fostering mutual empowerment between commerce and travel. By tapping into the core values of Huai'an's Grand Canal culture, intangible cultural heritage, and culinary culture, the event continues to promote the deep integration of culture, commerce, tourism, and sports, fueling the high-quality development of Huai'an's culture and tourism industry.