China Media Group has prepared a gala evening to celebrate the Lantern Festival, which will be held on March 3 at 8:00 p.m. Beijing time, 1:00 p.m. CET. The special program will offer a diverse mix of performances to bring the atmosphere of this traditional Chinese holiday to audiences at home and abroad.

The gala will feature a variety of artistic genres - from song and dance to traditional opera to comedy sketches, dialogue and magic performances. The programme is designed to bring together Chinese communities around the world and China's international friends to celebrate the conclusion of the Lunar New Year celebrations.

This year's gala will also include four satellite locations that will offer a look at celebrations in different parts of the country. This will take viewers to the cities of Harbin in Heilongjiang Province, Yiwu in Zhejiang Province, Hefei in Anhui Province and Yibin in Sichuan Province. The presenters at these places will guide the audience through the local traditions of the Lantern Festival and also introduce typical regional specialties and delicacies.

The gala evening will be simultaneously broadcast on CCTV-4, an international channel of China Media Group, and on a number of digital platforms on March 3 at 8:00pm. The program will be available on CCTV News, CCTV Video, the Cloud Listening app, CCTV.com, China National Radio Network, and China Radio International Online, among others.

CMG