Kaili Miao New Year Festival 3-Day Tour (Nov-Dec Lunar Window)

The biggest party in southeast Guizhou, and almost no foreign travelers see it. Miao Year — Miao Nian — is the Miao people's traditional new year, celebrated on different lunar dates by different villages across Qiandongnan between roughly late October and early January (most villages fall in lunar November and December, so plan November–early January in the western calendar). For a few days each village stops working. Women bring out the heavy silver headdresses and embroidered jackets passed down through generations. Men play the lusheng — a tall bamboo reed pipe — in unison, hundreds at a time. There are bullfights between water buffalo, communal long-table feasts of rice wine and sour fish, and at night the village square fills up with circle dancing under strings of red lanterns.

This private three-day tour bases you in Kaili — the regional capital and the only practical jumping-off point — and takes you to three different Miao villages on three consecutive festival days. Each village's celebration is slightly different; the exact villages and dates are tuned to that year's lunar calendar. Your English-speaking guide explains the rituals: why the silver, why the bullfight, what the lusheng tunes mean.

Day 1 — Arrival and first festival village:

• 10:00 — Pickup from your Kaili hotel or Kaili South HSR station
• 11:30 — Drive into the festival village (1–2 hours, depending on which village is celebrating)
• 13:00 — Long-table Miao welcome lunch with rice wine and folk songs
• 15:00 — Afternoon lusheng dance circle in the village square; women in full silver regalia
• 18:30 — Festival dinner in a local family courtyard
• 20:00 — Return to Kaili for overnight

Day 2 — Second village and bullfight:

• 09:00 — Drive to a second Miao village (different sub-group, different costume style)
• 11:00 — Walking tour of the village with a local Miao elder
• 13:00 — Local lunch
• 14:30 — Water-buffalo bullfighting arena — a competitive but non-lethal traditional contest
• 17:00 — Evening lusheng performance and circle dance
• 19:30 — Return to Kaili for overnight

Day 3 — Final village and departure:

• 09:00 — Drive to a third Miao village (smaller, more intimate)
• 10:30 — Watch silver-making and embroidery workshops; meet a Miao silversmith
• 12:30 — Farewell long-table lunch
• 14:30 — Return to Kaili
• 16:00 — Drop-off at your Kaili hotel or Kaili South HSR station

Who this is for: Cultural travelers, photographers, anthropologists, anyone who wants one of China's most colourful living festivals before mass tourism gets here. Suitable for ages 8 and up — long days, some uneven village lanes, late evenings. Bullfights involve animals but are non-lethal; we'll skip on request.

Logistics: Private air-conditioned vehicle. Licensed English-speaking guide. Two nights at a mid-range Kaili hotel (twin/double, private bathroom). All entrance tickets, three lunches, two dinners, festival contributions to host families. Exact villages and dates set 2–4 weeks in advance once the local lunar schedule is confirmed. Booking window: lunar Nov–Dec, roughly early November to early January in the Western calendar; outside this window the festival does not run.

Local Roads. Global Eyes. We're a Beijing-licensed inbound operator with Miao-speaking local guides in Qiandongnan. Questions before you book? WhatsApp +86 139 1764 3020 or [email protected].

Free cancellation is available on most tours up to 24 hours before the start time. The exact cancellation terms for this tour are shown during booking.