Hanoi (VNA) -- Sun World Ba Na Hills has officially launched the 2026 Sun Festival - a vibrant summer-long celebration of arts, cuisine, and craft beer atop Nui Chua in Da Nang. More than a festival, it is an immersive journey into the pulse of summer, where light, music, and emotion never fade.
Creating a multi-experience summer festival vibe
The launch of the Sun Festival signals a new direction in Ba Na’s festival strategy. Previous summers were centred on beer-themed formats, from Oktoberfest-inspired events to the SunKraft Beer Festival. This year, Ba Na moves beyond a food- and beer-driven model to a multi-layered summer festival experience within the Sun Kingdom, where beer and cuisine serve as creative inspiration shaping performances, games, retail, and interactive activities into a unified festival ecosystem.
Food at the Sun Festival is elevated beyond traditional stalls into multi-sensory live experiences. Visitors can observe the entire preparation process in real time, from the sound of sizzling pans and the aroma of grilling to the precise techniques of chefs before tasting each creation. Kebab stations, hotdog counters, pastry booths, and the signature Ba Na sausage grill come together to form a vibrant European-style street food landscape. The experience is designed to be immersive and accessible, encouraging visitors to engage, connect, and share in a continuous flow of festival energy.
Visitors are also treated to an engaging lineup of skill showcases, artistic performances, and interactive activities held throughout the day, creating a lively, all-day entertainment experience.
The highlight is a series of debut skill showcases that deliver fresh, emotionally engaging experiences. Around the Church area and the Octagon Square, the “Happy Cleaners Performance” surprises audiences by bringing the “unsung performers”, the cleaning staff onto the stage. Using familiar tools such as brooms and clothes, they transform everyday tasks into playful choreography, creating moments of laughter and positive energy for visitors.
Meanwhile, “Pizza Time” offers a new perspective on culinary experiences, turning the kitchen into a live performance stage. At Brasserie restaurant, guests can watch chefs deliver skilful pizza dough-tossing acts, transforming each stage of preparation into a distinctive performance piece.
Complementing Ba Na’s signature shows such as Love in the Sky, Malambo, Cancan, a range of international music performances across diverse styles, and the cabaret show After Glow, the lineup creates a vibrant, multi-layered artistic landscape for Ba Na during the festival season.
A diverse range of new must-try experiences
Set against the rich aromas of premium craft beer and Ba Na’s signature grilled sausages, visitors can immerse themselves in a lively atmosphere featuring daily competitive mini-games. Highlights include the “Beer King Hunt” challenge for speed enthusiasts, as well as the endurance contest “Keg Holding,” where participants lift 20-kilogram beer kegs under the energetic hosting of the Beer King mascot.
This is also when Ba Na Peak reveals the most dazzling beauty of its floral landscapes. Amid the site’s distinctive four-season-in-a-day climate, visitors can leisurely stroll through Rosa Garden, where thousands of roses are in full bloom, or admire the ethereal hydrangeas that blanket the pathways of Le Jardin D’Amour.
The journey of experiencing the Sun Festival becomes even more memorable with visits to its iconic landmarks: from the Golden Bridge, a silk-like ribbon emerging through the clouds, to the Sun God Waterfall featuring a masterpiece of 43 bronze statues, and the French Village, whose timeless architecture recreates a poetic “Little Paris” in the heart of the mountains.
Notably, the 2026 Sun Festival also marks the introduction of four themed realms in Ba Na, each representing a distinct world and an iconic character. Visitors can explore the romantic, untouched landscapes of the Magical Realm, governed by the deity Vanna; experience the lively atmosphere of the Sun Kingdom, home to celebrations led by the Sun King; take in poetic sunsets in the Moon Kingdom alongside the Moon Queen; and conclude their journey in quiet reflection at the Origin Realm, accompanied by the sacred Crane spirit.
This upcoming April 30 – May 1 holiday, the Sun Festival stands out as an unmissable destination for visitors to Da Nang – a place where every step leads into a new realm of emotion, and every moment is worthy of being cherished forever./.
