2024 Shanghai Citizens Art Festival to open on Saturday

Caption: More than 1,000 cultural activities will be hosted in the city during the festival throughout the year.

The 2024 Shanghai Citizens Art Festival will raise its curtain on March 30. Throughout the year, more than 1,000 cultural and art activities will be hosted in the city to showcase local traditions, arts and culture.

According to Wu Penghong, an official with the festival’s steering committee, this year’s fest will strengthen aesthetic education and create a strong cultural atmosphere for residents through a wide range of programs.

“Since its establishment in 2013, the annual Shanghai Citizens Art Festival has already become an important cultural brand of the city and a public platform for diverse cultural and art events,” Wu said. “We hope that our activities will also help to boost consumption and the city’s economy.”

The events will showcase illustration art, digital art, and the charms of time-honored intangible cultural heritage and folk traditions in China.

Caption: The annual cultural gala has become a popular and influential cultural brand of the city.

Caption: A series of cultural performances will be hosted.

A variety of cultural performances, public film screenings, reading salons, and art workshops will be held on the occasions of an array of iconic festivals such as the Shanghai Spring International Music Festival, the Shanghai International Film Festival, the Shanghai Tourism Festival and the China Shanghai International Arts Festival.

Additionally, a series of city-wide competitions will display residents’ talents in dancing, a cappella music, and writing.

Multiple courses from the Citizen Art Night School, which is a part of the city's primary social aesthetic education projects, will also be offered for both local residents and expats to experience intangible cultural heritage and a range of art forms.