The 2026 Shanghai Tourism Festival entered its classic season on Sept 1, following the summer season. More than 170 cultural and tourism activities are scheduled across the city.

The classic season will feature activities spanning food, markets, sports, and cultural experiences, alongside discounted tickets, tourism consumption vouchers, and travel packages.

Grand parade to open on Sept 12

This year's grand parade will take place from 7:30 to 9 pm on Sept 12 at the Bund Bull Square on East Zhongshan Road Number One.

The parade will feature 21 performance groups from China and abroad and 21 themed floats, with 12 groups from overseas representing Peru, Croatia, New Zealand, Poland, Malaysia, the United States, Spain, Thailand, Australia, Mexico, Russia, and Switzerland. Four groups will come from other parts of China, representing Puning in Guangdong province, Huaihua in Hunan province, Gengma in Yunnan province, and Sanming in Fujian province. Shanghai's local groups will represent theme parks such as Shanghai Disney Resort, Legoland Shanghai Resort, Shanghai Happy Valley, and Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park.

From Sept 13 to Oct 6, the themed floats will tour 10 areas across Shanghai: Jing'an, Chongming, Hongkou, Jiading, Qingpu, Xuhui, Minhang, Putuo, and Songjiang districts, as well as Lin-gang Special Area. Some performance groups will also stage pop-up performances at city landmarks from Sept 13 to 15.

Seasonal food and local experiences

From September through the end of October, the festival will partner with the Michelin Guide and the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide to recommend seasonal Shanghai dishes and other specialties.

Other food-related events include:

• Rice season in Songjiang district: Sept 1 to Oct 7
• Water bamboo carnival in Liantang town, Qingpu district: Sept 30 to Oct 4
• German-themed carnival at Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong: Oct 5 to 24, featuring roasted pork knuckle, assorted German sausages, two German-style beers, and performances by a Bavarian band from Germany
• Weekend riverside life season at North Bund: Sept 12 to Nov 1, featuring waterfront bars and live music
• Nanxiang Guochao Festival: Sept 30 to Oct 8, including a large-scale xiaolongbao feast, with online voucher redemption and a street-side dining event

Other markets and themed events include:

• Guochao Tourism Carnival: Sept 25 to 28 at the North Bund International Cruise Terminal in Hongkou district, featuring more than 100 participating businesses and nearly 1,000 specialty products
• Yeahh Park sports market: Sept 25 to 27 in Yangpu district
• Mid-Autumn Festival folk activities: Sept 25 to 27 in Minhang district
• Autumn adventure season at Neo World: late September to late October in Xuhui district

Major sporting events

Shanghai round of the 2026 FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP): Sept 11 to 13 in Fengxian district

Head of Shanghai River Regatta: Sept 24 to 27 on Suzhou Creek

Valorant Champions 2026: Champions Shanghai: Sept 24 to Oct 11 in Jing'an district and Oct 14 to 18 in Pudong New Area

Shanghai 8 Hours endurance race: Sept 25 to 27 in Jiading district

UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship - Grand Prix of Shanghai: Oct 2 to 3 in Baoshan district

UIM F1H2O World Championship Grand Prix of Shanghai: Oct 4 to 5 in Baoshan district

Discounts and tourism packages

Discounted admission

From Sept 12 to 27, selected tourist attractions, theme parks, and cultural venues will offer discounted admission.

Shanghai Pass is offering a citywide art museum pass from July 2026 to Feb 28, 2027.

Tourism consumption vouchers

Putuo district: Vouchers for hotel stays, attractions and museums, and movie tickets are available through Alipay from July to October.

Qingpu district: 6 million yuan (about $894,035.18) in tourism consumption vouchers will be distributed from Sept 28 to Oct 28, covering hotels and guesthouses, attractions, and other tourism-related products and services in the district.

Travel and hotel packages

From September to the end of October, the Shanghai Tourism Festival will collaborate with hotel groups, including Jin Jiang Hotels, to offer attraction-and-hotel and sports-event-and-hotel packages through its official WeChat account and mini program, as well as participating hotel platforms.

Meituan Instashopping will launch the "modern holiday guide" from Sept 27 to Oct 4, along with themed pop-up events running from July 8 to Oct 16.

Ctrip has also set up a dedicated Shanghai Tourism Festival page, running through Sept 23, featuring discounted products under themes such as "Shanghai-style urban archaeology" and "trendy local experiences".

Sources: Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, Shanghai Tourism Festival