City breathes new life into night

Ding Yining and Hu Min

THE Shanghai Night Festival, scheduled from June 6 to 30, will feature over 180 activities including shopping, food, leisure and entertainment.

Public transport and Metro operating hours will be extended during weekends and holidays to support the festival, while arrangements will also be made for temporary parking spaces.

“We will support setting up of pedestrian malls for a limited period over the weekend. At the same time, we will make proper planning to make nightlife activities attractive to boost the city’s night economy,” said Liu Min, vice director of the Shanghai Commerce Commission.

Some 50 outdoor street bazaars will sell local snacks, handmade crafts and latenight eateries with shows to entertain the visitors.

Major retailers in key business areas such as Jing’an, Yangpu, Xuhui and the Pudong New Area will be requested to stay open till 11pm.

Local retail conglomerate Bailian Group will offer coupons worth 500 million yuan (US$70.4 million) through Alipay, covering some 600 local stores. Thirteen of the group’s outlets and department stores will open until 11pm.

Top social and lifestyle services sites such as Meituan Dianping, Xiaohongshu and Douyin will stage livestreams on the trendiest spots in the city and will work with commercial authorities to rank the best places.

Freshippo

stores

are extending their opening hours until midnight this Saturday and offering discounts on crayfish, beer and other fresh food for online orders between 8pm and 12pm.

Huangpu urban management authorities are working with the Bund Financial Center mall to turn the 15-meter Fengjin Road a pedestrian mall at weekends.

The Sinan Mansions area is hosting a nightlife event that will feature food stalls, art exhibitions and other cultural events every weekend this month.

More than 460 local bars have promised drink deals.

Ye Dingyuan, chairman of the Shanghai Bar Association, said Shanghai’s night economy had gradually recovered, with average sales in April and May at local bars adding nearly 18 percent compared with a year ago.

“There’s pent-up demand for nightlife since March especially for young people and visitors from out of town, and most bars posted better-thanexpected recovery,” Ye said.

Around 30 museums and six art galleries in Shanghai will extend their opening hours from June 6 with the launch of nighttime art and cultural tours, the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism said.

Themed tours are also in the works at venues of the third China International Import Expo on Sunday for the 150day countdown to the expo. It will string together tourist attractions in Qingpu District and the Hongqiao area.