The 2026 Dan Kinh Thien Festival, themed "Huyen Thien Co Dan" (Mysterious Heavenly Altar), will be held in Thung Ui (Ninh Binh), inspired by the Dan Kinh Thien altar – where King Dinh Bo Linh once performed the ritual of worshiping heaven, marking a milestone in the formation of the Dai Co Viet state in Vietnamese history.
The festival explores historical narratives from culturally rich regions, following a trend of combining entertainment and education (Edu-tainment), aiming to bring historical and cultural values closer to the public through experiential art forms. This direction has been implemented. Newday Media It will be implemented in many large-scale festivals such as the Ho Chi Minh City River Festival 2023-2024 and the Ninh Binh Festival 2024.
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A grand outdoor stage amidst the natural beauty of Ninh Binh.
Unlike typical art programs, the festival is built on a real-life stage model, directly combining natural spaces with large-scale performances. The goal of the program is to recreate Ninh Binh's history in a more accessible way, allowing audiences to "see" and "feel" the flow of time instead of just receiving information through documents.
A unique feature of the 2026 Dan Kinh Thien Festival is that, for the first time, milestones in Ninh Binh's more than 13,000-year history are brought into a unified experiential space. The program doesn't separate historical periods but connects them into a continuous journey, allowing viewers to traverse different time periods within a single experience.
The artistic journey is structured into three chapters: Eternal Spirits, Founding of Dai Co Viet, Ancient Altar of the Mysterious Heaven, The program successively recreates the historical, cultural, and religious layers of the ancient capital of Hoa Lu. The venue at Thung Ui Cultural Area makes maximum use of the natural terrain to create an open stage where the audience can observe the various performances unfolding within a single context. This approach ensures the program is not only entertaining but also possesses significant cultural and historical educational value.
The impressive highlights of the "Huyen Thien Co Dan" Grand Scenic Area.“
One of the program's unique features is its dual-stage operation. While the main stage handles large-scale scenes with thousands of actors, dancers, and spectacular historical reenactments, the second stage guides the narrative, connecting emotions and transitioning between different time periods. The simultaneous coordination between the two performance spaces demands meticulous planning in staging, coordination, and stage techniques to ensure the entire program operates as a unified, seamless whole.
The entire historical narrative is presented through a realistic theatrical performance, combining light, sound, movement, and the natural setting of Thung Ui. Each segment is designed as a separate spatial layer, making it easy for the audience to follow and understand, while creating a sense of authenticity during the experience.
In terms of scale, the program is expected to bring together approximately 2,500 actors and performers, including stage artists, circus artists, solo dancers, group dances, and extras participating in large-scale scenes. In addition, the stage props system is also specially invested in, from symbolic details to large-scale scene structures, aiming to accurately recreate the historical spirit and context of the program.
The 2026 Dan Kinh Thien Festival is produced by Newday Media, organized by Xuan Truong Construction Company, with the participation of a creative team including: General Director Le Hai Yen, Music Director Cao Xuan Dung, General Choreographer Meritorious Artist Phan Luong, Lighting Director Ngoc Lam and Sound Director Huu Binh.
Along with researching archaeological and historical documents, and meeting with cultural experts, the team spent a lot of time on field surveys to design live performance art – where music, lighting, dance, graphics, props… are combined in an open space, recreating sacred moments in the most vivid way.
The 2026 Dan Kinh Thien Festival – Huyen Thien Ancient Altar will take place on April 26th at the Thung Ui Cultural Area, promising an unprecedented historical experience for tourists visiting Ninh Binh, both domestic and international.
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