Mid-Autumn festival «Sắc màu Lâm Đồng - Chung một vầng trăng» (Colours of Lâm Đồng, One Moon)

   After the provincial merger, Lâm Đồng has become large and varied: the highlands around Đà Lạt, the coast at Phan Thiết and the Gia Nghĩa plateau now sit inside one border. The 2026 Mid-Autumn festival is held at three centres at once under the shared theme «Sắc màu Lâm Đồng - Chung một vầng trăng» — the colours of Lâm Đồng, one moon for all. The programme runs from 21 to 25 September.

   The main show is at 18:00 on 24 September (the fourteenth day of the eighth lunar month) on the open-air stage of the provincial Theatre and Arts Exhibition Centre in Phan Thiết ward. That is also where the lantern contest happens, with separate judging rules for large and small lanterns, children's performances, a lion dance and the opening drum. The organisers have not set entry terms; the venue is outdoors.

   Where things happen:

   — east of the province, Phan Thiết ward: the main stage, the large and small lantern contest, the children's arts programme;
   — the centre, Đà Lạt: «Đêm hội Trung thu» at Lâm Viên Square and around Xuân Hương lake, run by the Xuân Hương ward committee with neighbouring communes;
   — the west, Gia Nghĩa: a programme on the central square of Bắc Gia Nghĩa ward;
   — plus local celebrations in individual wards, communes and special zones.

   Come with children if you can, though there is plenty to look at either way: Vietnamese Mid-Autumn lanterns are not paper balls but structures several metres tall, carried through the streets. In past years the eastern districts have built, among other things, a glowing lantern shaped like a dragon fruit bush — the crop this coast lives on.

   The Đà Lạt part is the most convenient for a visitor: Lâm Viên Square and the Xuân Hương lakefront are the middle of town, and the whole city drifts there in the evening. The Phan Thiết part has the largest programme but sits further from the usual tourist routes.

   The plan was approved by the Lâm Đồng provincial people's committee, with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism responsible for the artistic programme. Ward-level schedules are set locally, so check the provincial newspaper before you travel.

   Five days, three venues and one moon for the whole province. If you are in Đà Lạt or on the coast in late September, keep the evening of the 24th free.