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SCMP Reporter

From lantern festivals to traditional flower markets, the Greater Bay Area will be buzzing this February with arts and cultural events as the region welcomes the Year of the Horse.
As we mentioned last month, a major cultural highlight is the Verbier Festival’s first foray into China. However, fans should note a last-minute line-up change: piano legend Martha Argerich has withdrawn for health reasons.
Read on for more details about that change as well as other events happening in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Macau.
1. 2026 Greater Bay Area Lantern Festival
What is Lunar New Year without lanterns?
The annual lantern festival in Guangzhou’s Nansha district will feature hundreds of light installations along a 2.5km (1.6 mile) route for 90 days, starting February 10.
Visitors are promised immersive experiences, while characters featuring at the festival will include those from well-known video games like Honour of Kings and JX Online 3.
Venues: Nansha Tianhou Palace and Coastal Park
Getting there: Take Guangzhou Metro Line 4 to the Nansha Passenger Port station, which is a 10-minute walk from the main gate.
2. Guangzhou Flower Markets

Guangzhou’s “Flower City” reputation comes to life in mid-February with a plethora of flower markets.
Strolling through these markets is a tradition that is believed to bring good luck for the coming year. This year, the city hosts 11 major markets with over 2,600 stalls.
Key venues and dates:

Yuexiu district (Xihu Road): The most traditional “century-old flower market” (February 13-17).


Haizhu district (Canton Tower Square): A flower market featuring food, intangible cultural heritage crafts and more (February 4-16).


Liwan district (Liwan Lake): The district is known for its unique “Waterborne Flower Market” at Liwan Lake, where vendors sell blooms from decorated boats (February 12-14).

3. Verbier Festival Shenzhen programme update

On January 16, the festival announced that Martha Argerich was unable to travel to Shenzhen due to health reasons.
The news was a disappointment to the legendary pianist’s many fans, but organisers quickly arranged for Yuja Wang – a giant in her own right – to step in at the last minute, along with other young stars such as Haochen Zhang.
Ticketing and programme:
Wang’s performance on February 1 with the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra is officially sold out, but there are still tickets for some of the remaining concerts.
The most up-to-date line-up can be found on the “Shenzhen Concert Hall Mini Box Office” WeChat mini-program.
4. 2026 Youth Music Culture the Greater Bay Area

The Youth Music Culture the Greater Bay Area (YMCG) festival returns for its 10th edition, led by world-renowned conductor Daniel Harding.
Concerts and other events will take place in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macau, featuring mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill and the Greater Bay Area Festival Orchestra – formed by musicians from the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and Macao Orchestra.
Also taking part is a group of principal musicians from international orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Vienna Philharmonic, along with the 2026 YMCG Orchestra, composed of young musicians from around the world.
They will appear in seven concerts; 10 conducting, vocal and instrumental masterclasses; and five keynote lectures with renowned conductors, competition laureates and arts administrators.
5. 10th Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (UABB)

The 10th UABB Shenzhen officially opens its main venue this week. This edition, themed “City Theatre”, explores the intersection of architecture, art and science through the lens of technology such as artificial intelligence and robotics.
Venues: Shenzhen Talent Park opens to the public this week, featuring outdoor installations that trace the history of Shenzhen’s urbanisation, while parallel venue Hetao, which is also known as the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone, features a more tech-focused exhibit.
Most venues are free to the public, though some specific forums and workshops at the Hetao venue require prior registration via the “UABB” WeChat mini-program.


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Greater Bay Area

Lantern festivals, flower markets and other February 2026 Greater Bay Area cultural events

A character from a popular video game is seen on a poster for the 2026 Greater Bay Area Lantern Festival, a 90-day Lunar New Year celebration that starts on February 10. Photo: Guangzhou City Government

The flower market in Guangzhou’s Yuexiu district is known as one of the city’s most traditional. Photo: Guangzhou City Government

The Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra will perform in Shenzhen in February. Photo: Verbier Festival

The 2026 Youth Music Culture the Greater Bay Area festival runs until February 12. Photo: YMCG

A poster for the 10th Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (Shenzhen). Photo: UABB

How toy pianos help Singaporean musician tell her OCD story

Margaret Leng Tan plays a melodica during a recent performance of “Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep” in Hong Kong. The production, which combines spoken word, projected images and toy piano music, is an autobiographical portrait of a musician living with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Photo: Visual Voices, courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

Tan with a collection of toy pianos. It was John Cage’s “Suite for Toy Piano” (1948) that redirected her from the grand to the toy piano. 

Tan with her mentor John Cage, whom she first encountered in 1968. Tan went on to become a key interpreter of Cage’s music.

Tan performs “Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep” at The Box, Freespace, in the West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong, on January 14, 2026. Photo: Visual Voices, courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

Tan plays a prepared piano with a bow in “Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep”. Photo: Visual Voices, courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

Hong Kong composer Lora Chow’s unusual journey from finance to writing Cantonese musicals

Composer Lora Chow, at the Fringe Club. 13JAN26 SCMP / Jonathan Wong

Lora Chow (in red) performs her piece “Awakening”, in which she plays piano and sings, with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 2024. Photo: Lora Chow

Composer Lora Chow is pictured at the Fringe Club in Hong Kong. Her new musical, Dr Clown, is one of the highlights of the coming Fringe Festival. Photo: Jonathan Wong

The official poster for Dr Clown, set to be performed at the Fringe Festival at the end of January. Photo: Fringe Festival

Chow’s latest album, Pursuits from the Roots, was released earlier this month. Photo: Lora Chow

New era for Royal Opera House as Jakub Hrusa, Speranza Scappucci take centre stage

Music director Jakub Hrusa during a performance with The Royal Opera Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in London, in September 2025. Photo: AP

Speranza Scappucci conducts a masterclass at The Juilliard School in New York in December 2025. Photo: AP

Scappucci, pictured in 2018, is the first principal guest conductor at the Royal Opera in nearly three decades. 

The enduring legacy of bamboo, a symbol of resilience, strength and adaptability in Asia

Bamboo poles are seen used in the construction of a pavilion in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong. Bamboo is used in everything from construction to food throughout Asia. Photo: Eugene Lee

Bamboo trees in China’s Anji county. Photo: Shutterstock

An opera performance is held in a temporary bamboo theatre for a festival in Hong Kong in 2025. Photo: Dickson Lee

Lifestyle

Arts

Check out our list of some of the best arts and culture events in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Macau coming up in February


Check out our list of some of the best arts and culture events in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Macau coming up in February.


Lantern festivals, flower markets and other February 2026 Greater Bay Area cultural events

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1. 2026 Greater Bay Area Lantern .css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Festival

Check out our list of some of the best arts and culture events in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Macau coming up in February

1. 2026 Greater Bay Area Lantern Festival