Bit of color and jazz at Bund
GRAFFITI art and street performances will add color to the night market scheduled to open on the Bund this Saturday.
The Waitanyuan Night Carnival will be held on the 276-meter Yuanmingyuan Road in Huangpu District between 5pm and 9pm through June 14.
Waitanyuan, literally “the origin of the Bund,” is studded with famous buildings such as the old British Consulate, the Union Church and the Peninsula Hotel. The road dubbed the “most beautiful backstreet on the Bund” is flanked by the city’s earliest western architecture in the renaissance, neoclassicism, eclecticism, art-deco and modernism styles.
During the night market, the pedestrian-only section of the street will be adorned with a dozen recreational vehicles featuring graffiti created by artists from across the world. Visitors will be invited to paint on one of the vehicles.
Selected eateries and brands will invite customers to have a drink or for souvenirs.
Shanghai aims to develop a prosperous nightlife as part of its campaign to increase consumer spending and help the growth of the economy.
“The Waitanyuan carnival will highlight innovation and art to be differentiated from other night markets popping up across the city,” said Tong Huanyue, deputy general manager of Shanghai Bund Investment Group.
Street artists will perform for visitors on weekends and artists from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai, which has been closed since the COVID-19 outbreak, will stage an outdoor concert.
Many high-tech self-service facilities will make their debut during the carnival. Visitors can make a bespoke ice-cream at an unmanned machine in 30 seconds. A robot will make cocktails and serve them to customers.
Brands, including many participants at the first and second China International Import Expo, will offer discounts during the carnival as part of the city’s shopping festival.
“We’d like to send a message that the businesses on the Bund are recovering rapidly as COVID-19 wanes,” Tong said. He said the pandemic has severely affected business operators and the nightlife events are expected to rebuild their confidence.