Shanghai Xintiandi will host the Heritage Now Festival from Feb 12 to March 3, featuring a lineup of cultural, artistic, dining, and retail experiences spanning Spring Festival and Lantern Festival.

The Heritage Now Festival is organized around five themes: lantern viewing, music and performance, festive dining, workshops, and a market.

More than 60 retail and dining brands will take part, alongside over 20 parades and live performances. A dedicated seven-day Spring Festival market will also be held during the festival.

As part of the lantern viewing program, Xintiandi will partner with Opple Lighting to unveil a five-meter-tall public art installation that uses contemporary lighting technology to reinterpret traditional Chinese aesthetics. An interactive audiovisual program developed with the Sound Art Museum will feature Chinese New Year soundscapes recorded across Shanghai's streets, offering visitors an immersive experience of local festive traditions.

The music and performance section will include more than 20 roaming shows and concerts across the shopping area. Created in collaboration with the Ancient Architecture Music Festival, the performances combine traditional Chinese musical elements with modern presentation styles.

For festive dining, more than eight Chinese restaurants will introduce special Chinese New Year menus. Highlights include a themed banquet jointly created by Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant, a representative of Jiangnan dim sum heritage, and Tong Han Chun Tang, a century-old traditional Chinese medicine brand, blending culinary tradition with medicinal cuisine concepts.

The workshops section will feature Chinese New Year-themed hands-on experiences, limited-edition products, and in-store activities hosted by culturally focused retailers, inviting visitors to learn, create, and shop interactively.

The Spring Festival market will be held on Feb 12-14 and Feb 19-22 at the outdoor plaza of Xintiandi Style I. Curated in collaboration with Common Rare, the market will bring together more than 40 brands showcasing traditional handicrafts, Chinese New Year folk art workshops, and emerging cultural labels, offering visitors a one-stop destination to shop, browse, and experience festive traditions.

Throughout the festival, Xintiandi will also offer member-only benefits, including limited-edition Chinese New Year gift boxes and online blessing and lucky-draw activities, bringing a playful digital element to the on-site experience.

Sources: WeChat account of Huangpu district and Xiaohongshu account of Xintiandi