The 2025 Mid-Autumn Festival is about to light up the Vietnam Exhibition Centre for Culture and Arts in Hanoi from October 2-5, with a jam-packed lineup of fun and tradition.

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The festivities will kick off with an opening ceremony on October 2 evening at the centre, promising a colorful showcase of Vietnam’s cultural heritage.

This year’s event conjures a Mid-Autumn panorama, with display areas awash in the vivid iconography of youth, such as lion heads, paper mâché masks, paper mandarins, lanterns, frog drums, cotton swans, and fruit trays. These setups aim to evoke nostalgic childhood memories while offering check-in for visitors.

Distinctive photo booths will mix old-school Vietnamese vibes with modern flair, serving perfect shots for youngsters.

A key draw will be hands-on activities, where children can dive into pottery making, statue painting, folk woodblock printing, crochet, scented wax crafting, and poonah paper lantern creation. These workshops are designed to deepen kids’ appreciation of traditional crafts while letting them craft their own Mid-Autumn keepsakes.

Beyond creativity, the festival offers practical wisdom through its “I’m a Firefighter” session, where children will learn the gravity of fire prevention, practise emergency escapes, and use fire extinguishers in smoke-filled spaces.

Additional workshops will impart lessons on traffic safety, dental care, and English through playful games, alongside free reading corners, physical activities, and lion dance performances.

The communal spirit of Vietnam’s past will come alive in traditional folk games like “o an quan” (mandarin square capturing), shuttlecock kicking, blindfold goat catching, stilt walking, bamboo dancing, and sack races.

Creativity will find its voice in contests that invite young imaginations to soar: a children’s painting exhibition titled “Mid-Autumn Through My Eyes,” digital art competitions, and a costume design challenge. A Mid-Autumn camp, uniting 12 Hanoi schools, will foster interaction and learning in a lively, collaborative setting.

The festival will also introduce “shared homes” under the “Loving Moon Season” event, creating a welcoming space for children with disabilities and autism.

Here, they will join peers in food tasting, leather crafting, bas-relief painting, and fabric collage creation. Organisers will also honour academically exceptional students from disadvantaged backgrounds with thoughtful gifts.

It will also pulse with performances, including “Moonlight Journey,” “Celebrating Mid-Autumn,” “Full-Moon Festival”, a children’s dance exchange, and fashion shows. The highlight, a street procession dubbed “Full-Moon Night Festival”, is slated for 6pm on October 5.

Featuring local art clubs, artists, and children carrying lanterns alongside families, the parade aims to deliver a warm, community-driven celebration under the moonlit sky.

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