From Ancient Culture Street to Water Park — three places to see Tianjin's autumn holiday rush

Ancient Culture Street, Yangliuqing Ancient Town, Tianjin Water Park — three spots that get busier than usual during the National Day/Mid-Autumn holiday.

Words · Editorial desk

This year National Day (October 1) overlaps with Mid-Autumn Festival, so the combined holiday runs October 1 through 8. All three places below are worth visiting any time of year, but the holiday brings extra performances and events. Ancient Culture Street is an easy walk in the city center, Yangliuqing is a canal town known for woodblock New Year prints on the city's western edge, and Tianjin Water Park is the city's largest free park. Once the holiday ends, Ancient Culture Street, Yangliuqing, and the park itself all keep running as usual, so they're worth keeping in mind for an ordinary weekend too.

Ancient Culture Street — more performances and craft stalls than usual

On the west bank of the Hai River in Nankai District, Ancient Culture Street is a restored Ming- and Qing-era shopping lane built around the Tianhou Palace. Its south gate meets Shuige Street, its north gate meets Tongbei Road, and the whole street is a walk from Dongnanjiao station on Metro Line 2. There's no admission fee and the street itself is always open; shops sell Tianjin specialties like Niren Zhang clay figurines and Yangliuqing New Year woodblock prints.

During the National Day/Mid-Autumn holiday, the street adds more traditional performances and craft-making stalls than usual, and evenings get noticeably busier. Exact performance schedules tend to change year to year and are usually announced on site, so we haven't pinned down specific times here. Individual shop hours also vary, so if you're heading there for a particular store, it's worth calling ahead to confirm.

Yangliuqing Ancient Town — a National Day-only immersive show in the New Year print village

Around Guyi Street in Xiqing District, Yangliuqing is known as the home of a 400-year-old woodblock New Year print tradition. The old town's streets are free and open around the clock, but the Shi Family Grand Courtyard, the main paid attraction, charges 25 yuan and runs 9 a.m.–5 p.m. (9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. outside the October 8–May 3 off-peak window). From Tianjin Railway Station, take Metro Line 1 to Xizhan (West Station), exit D, catch bus 824 from the Nanguangchang Dong stop, and get off at the Shi Family Grand Courtyard stop — about a 10-minute walk from there.

During this year's holiday (October 1–7), the immersive show "In Search of Bai Junying" 3.0 runs four times a day across the old town, staged at three venues: the Ruyi Street stage, Baoyu Square, and the Mingqing Street main stage. Exact showtimes and ticket prices are announced through official channels and change frequently, so we weren't able to confirm them here. Outside the holiday, the town runs quietly without these performances, and a walk through the print workshops is reward enough on its own.

Tianjin Water Park — back to peak-season hours, the "little Disneyland of Tianjin"

In Nankai District, Tianjin Water Park covers 126.71 hectares across nine islands and three lakes (East, West, and South), making it the city's largest free park. It's reachable from either Shuishanggongyuan Xilu or Shuishanggongyuan Donglu station on Metro Line 11. True to its nickname, "Tianjin's little Disneyland," the park has rides inside it, but entry itself is free — you only pay for individual rides like the roller coaster or the log flume.

Since September 1, the park has returned to its peak-season hours, open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Each autumn the park typically holds a chrysanthemum exhibition, and each spring a tulip festival, but as of this writing the exact opening date for the 2026 autumn chrysanthemum show hasn't been officially announced. In past years it's usually landed in late October, so if you're planning a visit around then, it's worth checking the official announcement before you go.

※ The hours, fees and show schedule above reflect what we could confirm around the 2026 National Day/Mid-Autumn holiday (Oct 1–8). We could not confirm the exact showtimes and ticket price for the Yangliuqing immersive show, or the 2026 opening date for the Water Park's autumn chrysanthemum exhibition — both were unannounced as of writing. Please check the latest official notices before visiting.

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