Once occurring every two years, Hue Festival now hosts regular cultural events annually, including traditional festivals and folklore, religious, contemporary art and sporting festivals. Activities are split into four groups, corresponding with the four seasons.
The first season begins on 1 January with the Calendar Distribution Ceremony and ends on 31 December with the Countdown Program. The highlight of the year is the multinational art and cultural festival, which occurs in April. Other highlights include the Ancient Capital Lantern Festival in autumn, the International Circus Festival in winter, the Capital of Gastronomy Festival in spring and the Ao Dai Festival in summer.