Shanghai's third international light festival concluded on Friday after illuminating the city for 30 days, drawing more than 23 million visitors and generating 5.41 billion yuan ($809 million) in consumption, organizers announced at a closing ceremony.

The festival, which wrapped up at the old city hall building in Huangpu district, transformed the city's urban landscape by integrating culture, tourism, commerce, sports, and exhibitions through hundreds of light installations and thousands of performances.

Spanning 18 venues across all 16 municipal districts and the Lin-gang Special Area, with a satellite venue extending to Suzhou Industrial Park in neighboring Jiangsu province, the festival featured 331 light art installations — including 62 large-scale inflatable structures — and presented 4,699 light shows.

"Huangpu district has been immersed in light and joy," said Chen Yang, a district government official. "The light installations not only illuminated greenbelts and waterfronts but also activated the sprawling night economy, making neighborhoods more vibrant, nights brighter, and consumption more robust."

The festival's impact extended beyond the installations. Zhang Lixin, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Landscaping and City Appearance, noted that 158 themed activities and 108 collaborative programs engaged communities throughout Shanghai, and that 34 landmark buildings were specially illuminated for the occasion.

A total of 205 light art installations, representing nearly 62 percent of all works, will remain in place for extended use, up 8 percentage points from last year. This underscores the emphasis on resource efficiency and carbon reduction, Zhang said.

Source: China Daily