After concluding its annual Lunar New Year-themed releases, Nike is set to revisit Chinese culture once more by producing a special Nike Air Max Plus, titled and inspired by the festive Longtaitou Festival.

The Longtaitou Festival, also known as the Eryue’er Festival, is held on the second day of the second month of the Chinese Lunar Calendar. The direct translation of Longtaitou means “dragon raises its head”, symbolising the awakening of the mythical beast after its long winter slumber, also signalling the arrival of spring and the farming season.

Jumping in on the occasion, Nike redesigns the Air Max Plus into a silhouette of festive celebrations. Most strikingly, a vivid blue-to-pink gradient color scheme washes over the silhouette’s upper, perhaps a nod to a dragon’s colorful scales.

More earthly tones take on the mudguard, tongue and midsole, while a pop of green flashes across the heel bubble of the sole unit. Interestingly, an extra set of laces wrap around the entirety of the shoe, from the top of the eyestay and around the mid panel of the shoe.

Rounding off the interesting colorway comes from inside, with the insoles featuring an all-over graphic as well as a set of Chinese characters. The left print says “謝謝光臨”, which means “thank you for your patronage”, while the right says “鴻運當頭”, representing “may good fortune be upon you”.

While this year’s Longtaitou Festival has come and gone, a release date for this upcoming Nike Air Max Plus “Longtaitou Festival” has not been announced. Sit tight as we’ll bring you the latest on this vivid pair as soon as we get more information.

In other sneaker-related news, check out the Patta x Converse One Star “4 Leaf Clover.