An iconic annual lantern show kicked off on Friday in Zigong City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, featuring hundreds of illuminated glitter lantern sets to create an immersive nightscape for visitors in the run-up to the upcoming 2026 Chinese New Year holiday, or the Spring Festival.

Covering over 43 hectares, this year's show comprises 11 clusters of large illuminated lantern lights and more than 200 groups of small and medium-sized lantern lights. The event this year will run until the end of the entire Spring Festival holiday season on March 3.

One of the highlights of the show is a cluster of lantern light sets created upon inspiration by over 6,000 children's paintings collected from more than 40 countries worldwide.

The show also features a drone performance on Friday with 2,026 drones in spectacular formations wowing crowds of visitors.