• Creating a major Q1/2026 moment to stimulate the economy and tourism, generating nationwide economic momentum.
• Leveraging the global “Next Asian Wave,” as Asian culture rises in worldwide influence,  positioning Chinese New Year as a shared Global Cultural Moment worldwide.
• Activating Chinese New Year insights across generations with all-in-one lifestyle experiences-shop, worship, dine, and travel-across Central shopping centers and over 3,000 stores under Central Retail nationwide.
• #LuckyYearOfTheHorseAtCentral; landmarks of sacred deities at 30 branches nationwide – the largest gathering of deity statues in Thailand. Pay homage to ‘Guan Yu’ at 20 branches across all regions and master: ‘Chang’ Tosaporn Sritula will share tips on how to pay homage to gain auspicious blessings.

Bangkok – Central Pattana plc, Thailand’s no.1 real estate developer for sustainability, is joining hands with Central Retail to welcome the new year and celebrate the auspicious ‘Year of the Horse’ in a 600 million baht campaign entitled ‘The Great Chinese New Year 2026’ #LuckyYearOfTheHorseAtCentral. This highlights the reputation as the operator of the best landmarks for Chinese New Year celebrations, a one-stop destination for shopping, worshipping, dining and spending leisure time. The campaign features highlight events and promotions that cater to the lifestyles of modern shoppers of all generations, to help boost spending, spur the economy and tourism, and create attractions for tourists from around the world during the first quarter of the year. The campaign runs from 30 January 2026 to 1 March 2026 at Central shopping centers and 3,000 stores under Central Retail in addition to Esplanade Ratchada.

Joining hands with leading partners, including the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Ministry of Culture, Central The1 Credit Card, Bangkok Bank Credit Cards, CardX and SCB Credit Cards, GSB Credit Card, KBank Credit Card, Krungsri Credit Card, KTC Credit Cards, TMBThanachart Bank Public Company Limited, UOB Credit Card, Major Cineplex Group and SF Cinema.

Dr. Nattakit Tangpoonsinthana, Chief Marketing Officer for Central Pattana plc, said: “Chinese New Year is more than a festival-it is a global cultural identity that connects people worldwide and remains deeply rooted in Thai society. It is a time when families reunite to pay respects, shop, and celebrate together, making it one of the highest-spending periods of the year and a powerful driver of both cultural and economic activity globally. This aligns with Global Trend 2026, which highlights the rise of the ‘Next Asian Wave,’ particularly the growing influence of Chinese culture across C-fashion, C-brands, and streaming platforms, as well as entertainment content. It reflects cultural moment that connects people, lifestyles, and the economy. This is why we have positioned our destinations as complete experiential hubs for shopping, worship, dining, and travel in one place, creating a contemporary Chinese New Year experience while driving Q1 spending, with traffic expected to rise by 25–30%.”

Unlocking Modern Shopper Insights: How Different Generations View Chinese New Year

• Identity Explorers (Gen Z): Embrace worship and modern spiritual practices in simple, trend-driven ways that are easily shareable as content. Data shows that 73.2% of Gen Z spend on “belief as fashion,” including bag charms and keychains, phone cases, minimalist amulets, blind boxes, AI fortune-telling, and even emojis added to their social media names.
• Soloist / Kidult / Alpha Parenting (Gen X-Y): Working adults who value spending time with families (family gatherings) as they bridge the gap between younger and older generations. Especially for Alpha Parenting (modern families), with children as the central focus. Their spending prioritizes quality and investment for the family and they value ​​beliefs and the spiritual practices of worshipping for their emotional support.         
• Active Aging (Baby Boomers): The main group that celebrate Chinese New Year and with high purchasing power; a center for the family who are deeply involved in traditions and culture, such as worshipping to ask for blessings and watching various related shows.

Tourism data – The Ministry of Tourism and Sports revealed that in 2025, a total of 32.9 million international tourists visited Thailand. The top five markets for tourists that visited Thailand were Malaysia, China, India, Russia and South Korea. For 2026, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) aims to welcome 36.7 million foreign tourists and 210 million domestic trips, which will generate over 3 trillion baht in revenue*. Promotional tourism campaigns will be launched all year-round as Central Pattana aims to welcome more international tourists from China, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan during the Chinese New Year. The tourist malls (centralwOrld, Central Park, Central Village Outlet, Central Rama 9, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiangmai, and Chiangmai Airport) are top destinations for Chinese tourists. Central is also collaborating with BEAUTRIUM to launch campaigns via the top Chinese lifestyle platform: Xiaohongshu and various e-wallets to create exclusive Chinese New Year experiences in Thailand for Chinese tourists.

Piyawan Leelasompop, Head of Corporate Marketing, Central Retail Corporation Public Company Limited (CRC), said that Chinese New Year is one of the key festivals that officially kick-start Thailand’s economy in the first quarter of the year, driven by consumer spending on goods, services, tourism, as well as offerings for worship. During Chinese New Year 2025, figures from the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce indicated that money circulating in the Thai economy surged to more than THB 51 billion, representing a 4.5% increase-the highest growth in five years. This aligns with positive signals this year, as the Tourism Authority of Thailand has set a target to attract 6.7 million Chinese tourists to Thailand. These supporting factors give us confidence that Chinese New Year will be a key mechanism in driving strong GDP growth in the first quarter. On this occasion, Central Retail has joined forces with Central Pattana to launch “The Great Chinese New Year 2026” campaign, serving as a key engine to stimulate purchasing power through the Power of Ecosystem that seamlessly connects offline and online channels, along with a multi-category approach covering more than 3,000 retail and wholesale stores of Central Retail across 62 provinces nationwide. The campaign is led by Central Department Store, Robinson Department Store, Supersports, CMG, TOPS, GO WHOLESALE, Thaiwatsadu, Power Buy, B2S, OfficeMate, and Robinson Lifestyle malls, all coming together with a comprehensive range of products and services, complemented by engaging activities and promotions designed to meet the needs of customers across every life stage and lifestyle. The campaign is highlighted by the 3C concept—CELEBRATE – CHANGE – CHANCE-aimed at delivering experiences beyond shopping,

“With the strong and comprehensive capabilities of both Central Retail and Central Pattana, we are confident that this collaboration will serve as a significant driving force in propelling Thailand’s economy forward. We aim to stimulate overall CRC sales during the Chinese New Year period and increase traffic across our nationwide store network, contributing to sustainable prosperity in this highly auspicious Year of the Horse,” Piyawan said.

Rvisra Chirathivat, Chief Marketing Officer of Central Department Store Group Under Central Retail, said: “Central and Robinson department stores stand firm as the primary shopping destination for all customer groups during every major festival – in particular, Chinese New Year, an important period in terms of culture and economy. We have therefore designed shopping experiences and auspicious activities that cater to both spending and inspiration for the new year, under the powerful, strong and elegant symbol of the Year of the Fire Horse. This aims to encourage customers to feel refreshed, inspired and confident in starting a year of opportunities at all Central and Robinson branches nationwide. This year’s highlight is a check-in landmark based on the Year of the Horse at Central Chidlom, which represents strength, freedom, determination and elegance, creating a vibe that encourages customers to pause to take photos and share their special moments. Robinson department stores nationwide will also host activities for customers to get a chance to win prizes to add both excitement and fun to the shopping experience.”

Shopping, worshipping, eating and spending leisure time: the best and the most complete Chinese New Year celebration landmarks nationwide

The synergy of Central shopping centers and over 3,000 stores under Central Retail nationwide will create a national Chinese New Year sensation that highlights the reputation as an ultimate celebration landmarks. The auspicious energy of the Year of the Horse will be conveyed through nationwide decorations under the theme of ‘The Gallop of Tian Ma’, simulating the journey of Tian Ma, the celestial horse and the eight auspicious horses that bring eight blessings: Fu, Kang, Ji, Ai, Sheng, Li, Zhi and He (Prosperity, Health, Luck, Love, Success, Power, Wisdom and Unity) to everyone to ensure that they enter the auspicious Year of the Horse with happiness and prosperity in all aspects.

CentralWorld presents world-class highlights, transforming the landmark into a powerful symbol of prosperity in the heart of Bangkok. The centerpiece is the 10-meter-tall statue (as high as a 3-story building) of Tian Ma, the majestic celestial horse, alongside six days of performances by Thailand’s leading artists from 12–17 February 2026, including Daou Pittaya, Shelly & Pandao, Jackie Jackrin, Benz Khaokhwan, and others, joined by an over-50-member orchestra from Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University under the Royal Patronage.

On 12 February 2026, over 500 drones light up the sky above CentralWorld Square in a spectacular storytelling show of the Heavenly Horse transforming into the “Celestial Dragon”, symbolizing prosperity throughout the year. Additional highlights include worship zones for Guan Yu, Cai Shen Ye, and the Thousand-Armed Guanyin (Paul Café, 2nd fl.), an immersive eight-blessing digital experience across 11 screens, the “Floral Auspicious” photo landmark at Central Court (1st fl), and the Tianma Wealth Trail at Groove Gallery (2nd fl.).

Landmarks that gather together sacred deities at over 30 Central shopping centers nationwide

Central Westgate is continuing its success by inviting the revered ‘Che Kung’ deity and auspicious windmills from Ho Chung in Hong Kong, a 460-year-old temple; don’t miss the Che Kung Procession on 10 February 2026 and the worship ceremony to Cai shen ye and Che Kung for good fortune, luck and success on 16 February 2026. Central Pinklao will host the worship of Guan Yu from a temple that is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Macau, on 13 February 2026. Both ceremonies will be led by renowned master: ‘Chang’ Tosaporn Sritula. This year, Central shopping centers nationwide Have ceremonially invited the 10 sacred deities and will enshrine the largest number of Guan Yu statues in Thailand, covering over 20 branches across all regions. There will be a grand ceremony to enshrine the Guan Yu: a 2-meter-tall Guan Yu statue from Fujian, China will be enshrined at Central Nakhon Sawan, the Tong Yi Teng Shrine will enshrine a Guan Yu statue from Singapore at Central Korat and the Guan Yu statue in the form of Li Guan Gong, the demon-slaying deity will be enshrined at Central Hatyai. The God of Wealth, Cai shen ye, which blesses fortune, wealth and prosperity will be enshrined at Central Ladprao, Central Rama 2, Central Ayutthaya, Central Ubon Ratchathani, Central Lampang, Central Nakhon Sawan, Central Hatyai and Central Suratthani, and the Bodhisattva Guanyin, which promotes compassion and good health, will be enshrined at Central Ladprao, Central Si Racha, Central Phitsanulok and Central Hatyai. Tai Sui Ye (God of the Year) will be enshrined at Central Ladprao, Central Phitsanulok and Central Nakhon Sawan to ward off bad luck for those born in the Year of the Rat, Horse, Rabbit or Rooster. 

From Local Culture to Local Wealth, driven by Local Art through the “8 Horses Local Art” sculptures created by local artists across eight Central shopping centers nationwide.

When culture is designed not only to be displayed, but to generate real economic value for communities, Central Pattana transforms Local Culture into Local Wealth by connecting art, city identity, and tourism with each area’s economic ecosystem in tangible ways. Through close collaboration with local communities, agencies, and artists, the company strengthens Thailand’s soft power while creating sustainable income opportunities at the grassroots level. Examples include: Central Khon Kaen is joining hands with local artists to create the Lucky Red Horse, a Fire Horse that symbolizes good fortune; Central Chonburi is creating Artistic Woven Horse – Woven Horse of the Great Wall, transforming ordinary bamboo into a landmark of faith and prosperity; Central Chiangmai Airport is working with City Craft Space and WASOO to use recycled agricultural materials to create auspicious flowers blooming on a 2-meter-tall horse; Central Phuket is showcasing the beauty and identity of Phuket through Peranakan fabric, which combines elegance and power to welcome the Year of the Horse. More artwork can be found at other branches such as Central Nakhon Sawan, Central Lampang, Central Salaya and Central Krabi.

Enjoy spectacular art and cultural performances throughout the Chinese New Year festival

The Ministry of Culture is presenting spectacular performances to preserve Thai-Chinese arts and culture and celebrate the Chinese New Year, with performances such as Flowers of the Royal Temple, Lion and Dragon Dances by the Chinese Opera Association and Hainanese music and Hainan Cup Dance from Nakhon Sawan at centralwOrld, with face-changing opera performances by the Chinese Opera Association at Central Rama 9, Central Westgate and Central Pinklao in addition to various other auspicious lion and dragon dances and performances at Central shopping centers nationwide. Enjoy the 50-meter Dragon Dance and Lion Dance on Plum Blossom Poles at Central Korat and watch an auspicious underwater lion dance at Aquaria Phuket, which has been enjoyed for six consecutive years. Enjoy popular Chinese orchestra performances with lion and dragon dances and for the first time, a gold jewelry fashion show by Bow–Maylada at Central Nakhon Sawan and admire a magnificent umbrella and fan dance performance called the ‘Eight Auspicious Flowers’ at Central Park along with lion and dragon parades, and performances by popular artists such as Thanaerng, New Chayaphak, and Yin Anan, who will be distributing auspicious oranges for visitors. Central Chonburi will showcase Yingge dance and horseback fighting, among other performances.

Shop for lifestyle products, auspicious items and lucky charms at Central shopping centers nationwide.

Creating a Thai-Chinese community that combines lifestyle products, food and culture that incorporates beliefs from the Chinese New Year festival, such as LUCK & LOVE MARKET, featuring items as good luck charms, home decor and lifestyle products to boost positive energy at Beacon 2, centralwOrld, Central Ladprao presents a gastronomic delight with Khun Reed - an event bringing together offerings, ritual items, and savory to sweet dishes from over 115 shops and discover the Chinese Heritage Market presenting legendary markets from old Chinese communities to the shopping center at Central Rama 3, enjoy the legend of old town markets featuring deliciousness from Yaowarat, Talat Phlu and Charoen Krung. Central Pinklao tells the story of Talat Noi, a Chinese community along the Chao Phraya River under the theme of ‘This Chinese New Year, savor flavors from every province’. Discover an exceptional selection of Chinese cuisine from leading restaurants at Central shopping centers nationwide. Highlights include BAO BAO (Shanghai-style dim sum), Din Tai Fung (Taiwanese-style Chinese cuisine), Hai Di Lao (Sichuan mala hotpot), HUA SENG HONG (Teochew fine dining), LONGJING (Zhejiang-style dishes from Hangzhou), MK Restaurants (Hong Kong–style roast duck), TOH KIM (Thai–Hainanese chicken rice), and many more. Moreover, enjoy special promotions, and a chance to win 8-baht weight of authentic gold* and receive over 40 million The1 Points in total*.

Celebrate the Year of the Horse in ‘The Great Chinese New Year 2026’ from 30 January to 1 March 2026, at Central shopping centers and 3,000 stores under Central Retail nationwide and Esplanade Ratchada.

For more details, please click:

https://www.centralpattana.co.th/en/shopping/shopping-update/lifestyle-activities

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