Oil sizzles across a round Luoguo griddle as slices of potato and cubes of tofu turn crisp at the edges, and at the stall run by Zhu Yaoping (朱幺萍) every seat is full by nine. The 2026 “Fortune Golden Fire” Wumeng Songs Torch Carnival (乌蒙欢歌) opened on August 14 in Pingyuan Ancient Town in Zhijin County (织金县), Bijie (毕节市), Guizhou Province, and the griddles are the surest sign of what the festival has done to the town’s night economy.
The carnival runs under the slogan “Naturally Cool, Burning Bijie,” pairing a summer evening program with a full lineup of folk performances. An ethnic-style DJ night opens the festivities, mixing electronic beats with locally themed tracks, while a Guizhou Ethnic Costume Show puts Zhijin’s layered garment traditions on stage, with free fitting sessions for visitors who want to try them on. A solemn fire-receiving ceremony, a fire-dragon parade through the old streets, and a bonfire gathering for thousands of people push the event to its peak each night.
Numbers get loud at the food stalls. Zhu Yaoping, who runs the cold-noodle-and-Luoguo shop, said the festival has lifted customer flow by 20 to 30 percent. Tang Ji (唐记), another Luoguo house, has gone from about 80 tables of guests a day to more than 200. The companion night market lines the old town with local staples: Zhijin’s buckwheat jelly, fermented-rice cakes, bamboo-fungus dishes, and of course the Luoguo griddle itself, whose shallow pan and oil-slicked surface are made for communal eating. On the Lanhua Yu’an (澜花语岸) and Yusa Jinqiao (雨洒金桥) streets, stalls for snacks, crafts, and farm products stay open late, and the extended hours are pulling visitors from street food into night tours, costume rentals, and heritage experiences.
Costume rental is having its own boom. At Zhuoman Yishang (卓蔓衣裳), a Hanfu and ethnic-clothing shop near Yong’an Gate (永安门), owner Zhuo Yanzi (卓艳子) said rentals have doubled since the carnival began, from about a dozen outfits a day to roughly thirty, with eight out of ten customers coming from outside the county. “They really love Zhijin’s Miao clothing and its batik embroidery,” she said. Dong Qingwan (董清宛), a visitor from Xi’an, rented a Miao outfit with her mother. “I have wanted to wear one for a long time, and today I finally got the chance,” she said.
Beyond the griddles and the costumes, the festival keeps the county’s tourism pitches moving. During the day, visitors can descend into Zhijin Cave, promoted locally as “the king of China’s karst caves,” walk the Zhijin Grand Canyon, or stop at the Fengwu Flower Sea and the century-old Wealth God Temple. At night the town lights up again with market stalls and performances. The event is marketed under the county slogan “Hometown of Ding Baozhen (丁宝桢), Cave Wonderland Zhijin,” a reference to the Qing-dynasty official born here, and it is the anchor of Zhijin’s summer push to turn sightseeing into longer stays.
Light heritage activities are built into the program too: rubbings of Yi (彝族) patterns, a holy-fire relay, and nightly stage shows of song and dance. The carnival runs through the summer season, and for a county that markets itself as equal parts cave scenery and street food, the torch festival has become its most recognizable cultural brand.
