With the arrival of 2025, Qingdao has embraced a time for celebration. Artistic performances, large music festivals and concerts, radio, film and television programs, festive celebration and exhibition events, and sports activities brimmed with creativity. 109 cultural, artistic and sports activities were staged in a continuous stream.

Amid New Year celebrations, the strong festive atmosphere still lingers in such performance venues as Qingdao Grand Theatre, Phoenix Sound Grand Theatre and Ocean Theatre in Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center. The New Year concerts of Italy Milan Symphony Orchestra and Sound of Vienna Symphony Orchestra, ballets and Peking opera performances provided a feast for audiences’ eyes. The “Lan Hai Zhen Zhu” (Pearl of the Blue Sea) has also set sail, where a nighttime concert and a ceremony for New Year celebrations with Chinese characteristics were held. High-quality products from many SCO member states as well as countries and regions along the Silk Road were displayed for sale in the SCO-featured market of special purchases for the Spring Festival. Physical activities including the aerospace model championship, the running event and the speed climbing contest enabled sports-loving citizens to celebrate the arrival of the New Year in a different way.

(Wang Lei / Mi Jingyu)

On December 31, 2024, people in Qingdao’s historic urban area spent a sleepless night. Haibo Road was immersed in a strong festive atmosphere. By Yu Hao

On January 1, 2025, Xun Meng Cang Hai, China’s first large immersive musical play on the history of navigation, was put on in Qingdao for the 500th time.