The activities of the Double Ninth Festival generally include sightseeing trips, climbing hills, admiring chrysanthemums, wearing dogwood, eating Double Ninth cake and drinking chrysanthemum wine.

The number nine ("jiu" in Chinese) has the same pronunciation with "久" (which means long-lasting) in Chinese. "Nine" is also the greatest single-digit number, so double ninth also means long life. Also, Double Ninth Festival falls in autumn, a season of harvest, so it has long been a favorite with people for its multiple meanings.

In 1989, China made the ninth day of the ninth lunar month each year the Festival for the Elderly, combining tradition and modernity to encourage people to respect, love and help the elderly.