The 37th Shanghai Tourism Festival will run from July 8 to Oct 6 under a "one festival, two seasons" model, covering the summer season and the classic events season.

The summer season, running from July 8 to Aug 31, features 170 events across six themes: cute animal stars, museums and heritage, local lifestyle, art programs, countryside experiences, and urban exploration.

Cute animal stars

Commercial areas host zoo-themed displays and activities featuring popular animal stars from local zoos. A pet-friendly merchant map is also available for visitors traveling with pets.

Shanghai Zoo invites visitors to nighttime animal exploration activities, while Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park presents an orca-themed summer program with 66 consecutive nights of water activities, live music, and fireworks.

The immersive giant-screen experience Prehistoric Planet: Dinosaurs – The Epic Immersive Experience makes its Asia debut at the West Bund Museum.

Museum and heritage

Major exhibitions across the city invite visitors to explore history and civilizations.

Shanghai Museum presents On Top of the World Tree: Ancient Civilizations of the Americas, featuring nearly 3,000 artifacts tracing the development of ancient civilizations across the Americas.

A House of Nobility: Aesthetics and Cultivation of Life in the Mawangdui Han Tombs is on view at the Shanghai Art Museum, marking the largest exhibition of the Mawangdui Han Tombs ever staged outside Hunan province.

A citywide cultural tourism pass and a stamp-collecting campaign are also part of the program, with details available through the Shanghai Tourism Festival official WeChat account and mini program.

Local lifestyle

This theme highlights traditional solar terms and intangible cultural heritage, bringing ancient customs into modern life.

Shenyuan Garden introduces summer evening activities where visitors can cool off after dark, while Longhua Hui presents a nighttime consumption scene featuring daytime coffee, evening drinks, and an intangible cultural heritage night market.

Other highlights include the Qixi Festival event at Chuansha Ancient Town, the lotus and water lily exhibition at Guyi Garden, and traditional art performances in Zhujiajiao.

Art programs

Art spaces across the city come alive with a vibrant program of summer events.

The 2026 Shanghai City Lawn Concert features seven performances. The 17th Music in the Summer Air festival presents 32 shows, along with VR experiences, stage plays, and film screenings.

Cultural venues such as Long Beach Concert Hall and Shanghai Poly Grand Theatre also offer major productions.

Countryside experiences

This theme links five major agricultural areas in Shanghai through 55 curated rural travel routes.

Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden offers countryside-themed activities such as family night tours and stargazing. Other highlights include Gucun Park's lotus festival, the Jinshan peach feast, and bamboo raft night tours at Daqian Swan Lake.

Qingxi Old Street's night market and Changxing Island's mutton feast and World Cup-themed events also add to the summer night scene.

Urban exploration

This theme connects landmarks with creative commercial blocks.

The Lego Festival debuts at Legoland Shanghai Resort, while Jinmao Tower offers cloud-viewing sightseeing packages. The sixth Half Marathon Suzhou Creek Cultural Tourism Festival launches a series of signature events.

The EKA Tianwu's summer carnival, the Summer Yu-Niverse garden fair at Grand Yuyuan area, and the Jing'an Fashion Culture Week bring together commercial landmarks for a multi-layered exploration experience.

Source: Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism