Vividly recreating values of Hoa Lu Festival

At present, the local authorities and people are actively preparing everything from traditional rituals to security plans, aiming for a solemn and culturally rich festival of the ancient capital. With meticulous investment, the Hoa Lu Festival 2026 promises to be a sacred cultural space where the historical values of a thousand years are vividly and majestically recreated.

Renovating appearance and elevating heritage destination

At the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital National Special Relic Site in Tay Hoa Lu ward, the Relic Management Board, in coordination with the local authorities, is actively renovating the appearance and preparing the conditions to create a solemn and impressive festival space. The Relic Management Board has focused on improving the quality of services to welcome an expected large influx of visitors. Simultaneously, it is coordinating with local authorities to prepare traffic diversion plans, and ensure security and order, environmental hygiene, and food safety throughout the festival.

Le Thi Bich Thuc, Deputy Director of the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Historical and Cultural Relic Conservation Centre, said that the festival is a bridge to bring the image of Hoa Lu Ancient Capital and Ninh Binh to international friends. This is an opportunity to affirm Ninh Binh's position as a heritage tourism centre, contributing to promoting the local economy and society by attracting tourists from all over to visit and participate in the festival.

Because of these important meanings, the Management Board has closely coordinated with the local authorities to perform rituals such as the Temple Opening Ceremony, the Nine-Curve Sacrifice, and the Bathing Ceremony in accordance with ancient traditions, avoiding any distortion of the essence of the national intangible heritage. Simultaneously, they are ensuring security and civility during the festival, with emphasis placed on traffic management, parking lot planning, and service and sales areas to put an end to the practice of soliciting customers.

Ngo Thanh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ninh Binh province, said that the Hoa Lu Festival 2026 is the first year it will be held after the reorganisation of administrative units and local administrations at two levels, therefore it will have many new features towards a larger scale, more synchronized and professional approach.

Regarding the organisation, the festival will mobilise the participation of localities throughout the province, creating close links and leveraging overall strength to organise a solemn, safe event and improve the quality of services for visitors. Besides preserving all the unique traditional rituals, the festival's activities will be innovated to be more diverse and attractive, creating highlights and providing rich experiences for the people and tourists.

Position of national intangible culture heritage

According to the plan, the festival will be organised on a provincial scale, taking place from April 25-27 at the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital National Special Relic Site and several locations in Hoa Lu ward.

This year's Hoa Lu Festival continues to be organised on a scale befitting a national intangible cultural heritage. Important spiritual rituals such as the Temple Opening Ceremony, the Water Procession Ceremony, and especially the Nine-Curve Sacrifice Ceremony are being actively practiced by artisans and ceremonial teams to preserve the original unique cultural features of the ancient capital region.

Tran Song Tung, Standing Vice Chairman of the Ninh Binh Provincial People's Committee and Head of the Hoa Lu Festival Organising Committee 2026, emphasised that the Hoa Lu Festival has special significance in commemorating and expressing gratitude for the great contributions of the emperors and ancestors in the cause of building and protecting the country.

Successfully organising the festival will contribute to preserving and promoting the nation's historical and cultural traditions, showcasing the potential and strengths of the socio-economic sector, the unique cultural features, and the famous landmarks of the ancient capital of Hoa Lu - Ninh Binh, he noted.

Tung requested that in the coming time, agencies, units, and localities focus on implementing the assigned tasks. Accordingly, the Department of Public Security should pay attention to controlling vehicles and delegates entering the festival opening area to ensure compliance with regulations, while Hoa Lu, Tay Hoa Lu, and Nam Hoa Lu wards should pay special attention to environmental sanitation and urban landscape beautification.

The Provincial Party Committee's Board for Information, Education and Mass Mobilisation, the Department of Culture and Sports, and Ninh Binh Newspaper, Radio and Television should focus on innovating communication work, especially multimedia communication, communication on social media platforms, and inviting celebrities such as TikTokers and KOLs to participate in promoting information about the festival.

With thorough and coordinated preparation, the Hoa Lu Festival 2026 promises to be a typical cultural event of the province, contributing to honoring the glorious historical traditions of the nation, and at the same time creating momentum to promote tourism and socio-economic development of Ninh Binh in the new period./.