Everyone’s heard of traditional Chinese festivals like Spring Festival, but few know about the “non-traditional” festivals and events celebrated annually in Shanghai. When it comes to culture, Shanghai events cater for everyone. From art, music and pop culture events to food festivals, you’re bound to find something you’ll enjoy.

Here’s a list of 5 great Shanghai events you should definitely check out.

1. Shanghai International Music Fireworks Festival (beginning of October)

Possibly the most vibrant of Shanghai events, the International Music Fireworks Festival (quite a mouthful…) is a fantastic show of colour and music. Firework artists from around the world gather in Century Park to compete for awards on National Day each year. This might be your only chance to see a professional firework show, since most displays are now illegal!

Tickets are available for 70 – 230 RMB but sell out very quickly. Don’t worry though, if you can’t get a ticket you can enjoy a good view from outside the park! To get there, hop off the subway at Shanghai Science at Technology Museum and walk towards Century Park. Do as the locals do and buy a roasted sweet potato on the way and find a good spot.

 

2. Gourmet Week/Restaurant Week

One of my favourite Shanghai events has to be ‘Gourmet Week’. Taking place twice yearly, during spring and autumn, hundreds of upmarket Shanghai restaurants offer discounted lunch and dinner sets for a week.

For those of us used to cheap noodles from local restaurants, this provides a great change! Though still expensive in comparison, the restaurants are much more affordable than usual and offer great food and stunning views. Prices depend on the restaurant, day of the week and meal, but expect to pay between 70 – 280 RMB. Reservations must be made through the www.restaurantweek.cn website in advance.

 

3. Shanghai Comic Con

http://www.comiccon.com.cn/en/homepage/

I’m quite proud of the fact that I have attended the first ever Shanghai Comic Con in 2015. Compared to the Comic Cons of North America, it was a humble affair that barely lasted a day. It was modest in size and had a handful of international and local exhibitors, though I’m sure future events will be bigger. It was interesting to see international movie stars like Luke Evans or Mads Mikkelsen only a few metres from young local artists who hand draw postcards.

The whole event had a very friendly and family friendly atmosphere. There were also talks, lectures and workshops but the language barrier did pose a bit of a problem there. This year’s convention takes place in October at SWEECC in Pudong. If you love animation, cosplay, comics and pop culture or want to find your inner geek, definitely check it out! When will a Comic Con ever again just be a subway ride away from you?

 

4. Daning Lingshi Park Tulip Festival (March/April)

                 

Shanghai isn’t exactly famous for its parks and the lack of green spaces always made me long for more nature. To welcome spring in Shanghai, take a trip to Daning Lingshi Park and wade through two million tulips. Located just south of Shanghai Circus Wold station, the park is home to huge tulip fields and entry is around 20 RMB. You will also find a white sand beach, a lake with pedal boats and a white European style marble arch. Count how many couples taking wedding pictures you can spot!

Afterwards, walk 10-minutes to Daning International Commercial Plaza, where you’ll find lots of Asian and Western restaurants. Blue Frog burgers are an expat favourite, but I recommend venturing inside the building for great Chinese food! If only I could remember the name of that one restaurant that serves food from the North-Western province of Xinjiang. Those lamb skewers…

If you love flowers, you might also like the Shanghai International Flower Show at the Shanghai Botanical Gardens in Xuhui District, but be prepared to admire the flowers alongside several thousand other Shanghai residents.

 

5. Shanghai International Film Festival (June)

International cinema fans, pay attention! The annual SIFF shows hundreds of feature and short films across the city at all hours of the day. An awards ceremony welcomes numerous Chinese and internationals stars and artists, but getting tickets may be difficult.

Tickets for the regular festival schedule are available on Taobao. The programme is usually a diverse mix of old and new, indie and mainstream, Asian and Western. I think all movies are shown with Chinese and English subtitles but don’t quote me on that… I went with a Japanese friend but for some reason all the Japanese films were super popular and sold out, so we had the pleasure of watching a very strange but entertaining German horror/fantasy/psychological drama. If you are interested in LGBT film festivals, check out the ShanghaiPRIDE Film Festival and the brand new Shanghai Queer Film Festival.

 

By Anna-Maria, Long-term teacher in Shanghai 2014-2016