People in some south and east Chinese cities celebrated the upcoming Lantern Festival with vibrant traditions earlier on Sunday, including long-table banquets and lion and dragon dances.

The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first month of the traditional Chinese calendar, or March 3 this year. People usually hang colorful lanterns, play riddle games, and express their wishes and hopes for the future.

In an ancient street in Doumen District of Zhuhai City, south China's Guangdong Province, a long-table banquet kicked off the festivities, bringing together more than 300 local residents, overseas Chinese, and visitors to celebrate the festival in a warm atmosphere.

"It's very lively here. Since this is a century-old street, hosting such a long-table banquet makes me feel the lively atmosphere of the Chinese New Year," said Lin, a resident.

The banquet attracted numerous compatriots from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and the Taiwan region, as well as overseas Chinese, who gathered to enjoy the delicious food and share stories about their hometowns and the city's rapid development.

"This is the second time I've attended this event. I feel that Doumen is changing every day, becoming better and better," said a Hong Kong resident.

Traditional performances such as lion dances also added vibrant energy and a joyful festive atmosphere to the celebration.

Meanwhile, an eye-catching dragon dance featuring an array of lanterns drew throngs of tourists and local residents in Tanshan Town of Yichun City, east China's Jiangxi Province.

Skilled dragon dancers moved in sync with rhythmic drumbeats, with a sixteen-section dragon weaving and tumbling in intricate sequences.

"We hope that through our performance, more people will fall in love with the lantern-featured dragon dance and that this tradition will continue," said Zhao Shanlin, head of a local dragon dance association.