Yi Torch Festival, Liangshan

Background

The Torch Festival is the grandest traditional festival of the Yi people, widely celebrated in the Yi areas of Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou and also observed by the Bai, Naxi, Jino and Lahu peoples, around the 24th or 25th day of the sixth lunar month. It is linked to legends of using torches to drive away pests and protect the crops, and it was on the first batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list. During the festival people light torches and bonfires and dance around the flames late into the night; by day there are bullfights, sheep fights, wrestling and traditional beauty pageants. In Liangshan the events span the whole prefecture: in 2026 the first stop opened with a traditional fire-lighting ceremony in Puge County on July 19, and the celebrations peaked on August 8 with a carnival along the 3.2-kilometre Hangtian (Aerospace) Avenue in Xichang, where 86 bonfires were lit and some 300000 people danced to Yi music; altogether 98 cultural and tourism events were held across the prefecture's 17 counties and cities.

Local customs

• Watch the fire-lighting ceremony
• dance around the bonfires with the Yi
• watch bullfights, sheep fights and wrestling
• see the traditional beauty pageant and Yi dress

Travel tips

• The main day falls around the 24th day of the sixth lunar month, while the prefecture-wide events span several weeks, with schedules announced each year. Xichang is the transport hub of Liangshan
• crowds on carnival night are enormous and traffic controls may apply, so book accommodation early, use public transport and check arrangements for leaving afterwards. Tickets and transport arrangements are subject to official announcements.

2027 schedule

• In 2027 the 24th day of the sixth lunar month is July 27
• the schedule of prefecture-wide events in Liangshan is pending official announcement.