Chongqing – The city of Chongqing is rolling out a major shopping and cultural festival for the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday, featuring over 2,000 events and more than 2 billion yuan (280 million USD) in consumer discounts. The "2026 Happy Spring Festival Shopping" campaign, which will run from February 15 to 23, is part of a coordinated effort to stimulate consumer spending and ensure a smooth holiday experience for residents and visitors alike.

Visitors at the Hongyadong to spend the Spring Festival. (Photo/Gui Ji)

A Holiday Shopping Blitz

The festival is designed around six key consumer areas: dining, accommodation, transport, tourism, shopping, and entertainment. Over 100,000 restaurants, including well-known brands and local specialties, will offer special Chinese New Year's Eve dinner packages. Additionally, Key commercial districts will host themed markets, brand pop-ups, and Chinese New Year goods fairs offering significant discounts. A series of cultural events are planned, such as drone light shows, large-scale lantern festivals, and intangible cultural heritage carnivals in ancient towns.

Tourists watch a drone light show at Chaotianmen Square. (Photo/Wang Quanchao)

Key Consumer Incentives

To directly boost spending, the city is introducing several supportive policies:

• Invoice Lottery: Consumers who obtain a single electronic invoice of 100 yuan ($14) or more in retail, dining, tourism, and other sectors can enter a lottery for cash prizes of up to 800 yuan ($115), as well as chances to win cars and home appliances.

• Trade-in Programs: Subsidized trade-in programs for automobiles, home appliances, and digital products will be promoted during the holiday period.

• Financial Support: Financial institutions are encouraged to offer special holiday payment discounts and consumer credit products.

Ensuring a Smooth Holiday Experience

With the Spring Festival travel rush already underway, authorities are implementing comprehensive measures to manage the surge in passenger and freight volumes. Transportation departments are increasing capacity across rail, road, water, and air networks, and have established "warm heart supply stations" at key transport hubs to provide rest and supplies for travelers. Market regulators have also announced strengthened oversight on pricing and product quality, particularly for groceries and Chinese New Year's Eve dinners, to protect consumer rights.

A public awareness campaign for Safe Spring Festival Travel has been launched. (Photo/The Organizer)

Building on a Strong Consumption Trend

This festival builds on Chongqing's robust growth in consumption. The city's total retail sales of consumer goods exceeded 1.66 trillion yuan (240 billion USD) in 2025, with sales of high-quality and smart products showing robust growth. The campaign follows a successful Chinese New Year holiday period, during which consumption in Chongqing surged 25.5% year-on-year.

The inspectors conduct pre-festival market inspections to ensure the holiday market is in order. (Photo/The Organizer)

Context for International Readers

Chongqing, a major megacity in southwest China and a national pilot for international consumption center cities, uses such large-scale, coordinated festivals to stimulate its domestic economy and enhance its urban appeal. The 2026 Chinese New Year, which falls on February 17, is traditionally China's most important family holiday and a peak period for annual consumption.

The landscape of Chongqing. (Photo/Chongqing Nan'an District)