The 13th China Art Festival will be held from Sept 1 to 15 in the regions of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has announced.

As the host for the first time, Tianjin will carry out major theme activities, including Wenhua Award, Qunxing Award, and the National Performing Arts Cultural and Creative Expo and the Calligraphy and Seal Exhibition.

Wenhua Award, a prize for professional stage performances, will be presented during the festival, which is held every three years. Fifty-eight theatrical productions will participate in the competition and nearly 30 shows will be staged during the festival.

Qunxing Award, which is also given out during the festival, will grant the top prize for amateur artistic works, and 112 theatrical productions will compete for 28 awards.

Besides live performances, there will be exhibitions of calligraphy, photography and paintings.

During the festival, nearly 600 cultural and creative institutions and enterprises will gather in Tianjin. About 100 performances will be staged at the city’s major theaters.

“The holding of the 13th Art Festival is expected to spark culture and art creation, enrich people's cultural life and boost economic development,” said Li Zhuo, deputy head of the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism.

Initiated in the autumn of 1987, the China Art Festival has become one of the most important national cultural and art pageants for ordinary people throughout the country. 

As a high-level comprehensive art activity, the China Art Festival plays an important role in enriching people's cultural life and promoting sustainable development of culture and art.