Festival des Lanternes de Céret — Splendeurs de Chine

A magical journey in the heart of the Catalan Country

Splendeurs de Chine is the Pyrenean version of the famous Festival of Lanterns, a Chinese light art practiced for over 600 years in the Sichuan province. For its first edition in the Catalan Country, the event took over the magnificent Château d'Aubiry in Céret, an exceptional 19th-century residence nestled in a 5-hectare wooded park at the foot of the Albères mountains.

2,600 monumental lanterns

Over 2,600 artisanal lanterns, made of steel structures covered with painted silk, were specially created for the event. They were crafted in the Sichuan region and assembled in Céret by Chinese artisans. About forty thematic displays — imperial dragons, Chinese zodiac animals, luminous butterfly trees, giant pagodas — unfolded along a nocturnal path of over a kilometer. Some structures reached 30 meters in height and 70 meters in width.

A rich cultural program

Beyond the lanterns, Splendeurs de Chine offered weekly performances by traditional Chinese artists: music, dance, Tai Chi, and Kung Fu. A monumental video mapping projected onto the castle facade created a spectacular immersive experience. Every Saturday evening, fireworks at 8:30 PM lit up the Céret sky. An artisanal Christmas market and a Chinese gastronomy restaurant completed the offering.

A major tourist event

With approximately 300,000 visitors expected over three months, Splendeurs de Chine established itself as a major tourist event for the Pyrénées-Orientales. The initiative, supported by the City of Céret and its mayor Michel Coste, aimed to enhance the winter attractiveness of the region and foster cultural dialogue between French, Chinese, and Catalan traditions.