The third Shanghai International Light Festival will be held from Sept 17 to Oct 16, featuring 158 themed activities at one main venue and 16 sub-venues.

"Light of Shanghai" is the festival's permanent theme, expressed through four key concepts: technology, culture, the future, and everyday life.

Main venue in Huangpu

The main venue will be in Huangpu district, with major activities taking place at Waitanyuan and Yanzhong Greenland, a large public green space on Middle Yan'an Road.

A 10-day "music and light fantasy show" will take place at the plaza outside Shanghai Concert Hall, combining architectural projection with a diverse music lineup.

Yanzhong Greenland will feature the first continuous urban forest light corridor in central Shanghai, including an immersive, interactive projection show on the Shanghai Telecom Building. The area will also host international art exchange activities exploring light art and artificial intelligence, light festivals and exhibitions, the nighttime economy, and green, low-carbon lighting technologies.

At Waitanyuan, a waterfront light art space will run along Suzhou Creek, featuring selected works by light artists from 16 countries. A themed cruise will also be available during the festival, with new family-oriented sailings and special ticket packages.

16 sub-venues across Shanghai

The festival will extend to 16 sub-venues across Shanghai, each presenting its own light art installations, performances, and nighttime activities.

Pudong New Area: New Bund Red Lane will feature an 800-meter forest light street and an original cat-themed projection show using a gauze screen. The River Mall will host a 1,000-meter continuous light corridor at its "Sunshine Valley".

Xuhui district: The festival will extend into Gate M West Bund Dream Center, featuring original digital and new media art, including premieres of residency works by leading new media artists.

Hongkou district: The Grand Halls will host a program that combines rowing events with light and technology, highlighting Hongkou's waterfront development along the Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek.

Yangpu district: A riverside light program will link Yangshupu Power Plant Relics Park, the WorldSkills Museum, Douyin Shanghai Riverside Center, and Shanghai Fuxing Island-Global Maker Island, alongside music festival activities.

Putuo district: Shanghai's first large-scale floating light installation on water will be paired with a musical water-screen fountain show. Food and specialty products from 13 cities along the Shanghai-Nanjing railway line will also be featured.

Jing'an district: Jing'an Park will feature a "city blind box" light projection and the Shining Shanghai (Jing'an) 2026 International Light Art Open Call.

Changning district: The program will feature projections on a diamond-shaped building, an aerial light corridor, and a public digital art exhibition.

Baoshan district: The spherical IMAX theater at Changtan will stage the public debut of a dome-screen and water-screen light show. The Wusongkou aerial theater will also feature drone performances and fireworks.

Minhang district: The core area of the Nanfang shopping area will host an immersive light show and four themed open-air light art exhibitions.

Lin-gang Special Area: The core section along the western half of Dishui Lake's circular waterfront will feature coordinated building lights, glasses-free 3D shows, and water-screen light shows.

Fengxian district: Guhua Park will host five immersive activities with stamp-collecting elements, centered on local culture, intangible cultural heritage, and urban renewal.

Jinshan district: Jinshan district will use traditional lanterns and floral landscapes to create a light program combining intangible cultural heritage, new light art, and local rural character.

Jiading district: A month of intangible cultural heritage activities themed around "light and gardens" will include traditional-style parades and light-themed concerts, connecting historic towns, gardens, and shopping areas.

Songjiang district: Thames Town will host a program themed around "light, film, and shadow puppetry", highlighting Songjiang's long history and its role in Shanghai's early development.

Qingpu district: Light installations and themed photo spots will link activities across the district and its shopping areas.

Chongming district: Chongming Museum will integrate light art with the historic architecture of Chongming Academy, one of only three surviving Confucian temples in Shanghai. Traditional-style night tours will also be offered.

More activities for different groups

Beyond light shows and installations, the festival will offer a variety of activities for different groups, from a hands-on lighting engineering camp for young people and the BPI Lighting Design Student Competition to a call for photography submissions and a pet-friendly night run.

Family-oriented activities will include hands-on workshops, while other activities will cover traditional Chinese medicine and wellness markets, intangible cultural heritage experiences, children's theater, traditional Chinese cultural activities, and sporting events.

The festival will also offer free digital workshops, public talks on light and science, and community art projects. A public light show will invite residents to help create it.

Source: General Office of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government