Summer is finally here and with it comes seriously hot weather and loads of hot events. As well as making the most of the sun at one of Shanghai's many 24 hour parks or al fresco happy hours or brunches, there's a whole host of art exhibitions, live music, film screenings, comedy shows, awesome parties and more. See below for our full list of picks for the month ahead.
Nightlife and parties
GoldLink
Excellent Washington DC MC GoldLink is known for forward-looking hip-hop and slick, danceable beats. He rose to the big time after swelling underground support and collaborations with Kaytranda, Rick Rubin and BadBadNotGood.
Arkham 168 Julu Lu, near Chengdu Nan Lu. Sat 17. 10pm-late.
Mr. C
Former frontman of The Shamen and owner of legendary London club The End, Mr. C emerged as a pioneering force in the UK’s house music scene in 1987 and has continued to be instrumental in spreading global dance music.
DADA 115 Xingfu Lu, near Fahuazhen Lu. Thu 15. 10pm-late.
Asian Vibes X Room 303 present Anetha
A resident of the Blocaus event in Paris, Anetha is a young techno DJ who has quickly become a prominent figure in the city’s underground scene. Oscillating between acid lines and strong grooves, she also dives into ’90s old school tracks. Support from MIIIA, Max Shen and Yoshinaga.
Elevator 218 Xinle Lu, near Fumin Lu. Fri 16. 10pm-late.
Festivals and gigs
LadyFest 2017 Concert
Locally-based female-fronted Riot Grrrl punk act Ugly Girls headline this gig from the LadyFest organisers, with Thundersouls and Ennis F.W. also on the bill. A spin off from March's annual LadyFest, this show is all about celebrating and supporting freedom of self expression.
Chair Club 555 Haifang Lu, near Yuyao Lu. Sat 10. 8pm-2am.
Fête de la Musique
The long-running free Francophone festival of music returns with events taking place across the city, mostly in shopping malls and public spaces and featuring locally-based bands.
West Bund Art & Culture Pilot Zone 2599 Longteng Dadao, near Fenggu Lu. Fri 23-Sun 25. 2pm-late.
PK14
Quite simply one of the greatest bands in the country, Chinese post-punk godfathers PK14 play Shanghai as part of a nationwide tour before heading to Germany to record their new album.
MAO Livehouse 308 Chongqing Nan Lu, near Jianguo Zhong Lu. Sat 10. 10pm.
Food and Drink
Grande Affaire de Champagne
The Peninsula Shanghai is hosting a Grande Affaire de Champagne, a three-day roster of luxe events that will celebrate the Champagne region and French vintage culture.
The Penninsula 32 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Beijing Dong Lu. Fri 2-Sun 4. 11am-6pm.
Foodies Unite!
Stuff yourself at Bon App!'s 'party on the moon' with eats from the city's top restaurants. Of course there'll also be the annual hot dog eating contest with the winning prize of free Dog House hot dogs for a year.
Zhongshan Park 780 Changning Lu, near Dingxi Lu. Sat 10 and Sun 11. 11am-9pm.
Bloc Party at The Cannery
Spread yourself out over the The Cannery's plush lawn with awesome eats and drinks at the monthly bloc party. Held on the first Saturday of every month, the neighbourhood gathering has barbecue rom Flippin' Freddy, a cocktail bar from Michael 'Punchy' Chen and beers from Boxing Cat Brewery.
The Cannery 1107 Yuyuan Lu, near Jiangsu Lu. Sat 3. 6pm-late.
Awesome art exhibitions
FANANA
The works on display at UNDEF/NE are from Mak’s ‘FANANA’ series, a collection of cartoon bananas, taking the form of canvas prints and pen artworks. The result is a yellow banana wonderland on the second floor of the M50 coffee shop-cum-creative space, featuring some happy-go-lucky bananas who, in Mak’s words, ‘do what they want, and don’t care what anyone says about them.’
UNDEF/NE 50 Moganshan Lu, near Xi Suzhou Lu. Until Tue 27 (closed Mondays)
Midsummer
Qu Fengguo's new solo exhibition 'Midsummer', his third at Don Gallery, presents the paintings that belong to the series 'Four Seasons' composed between 2015 and 2017. 'Four Seasons' by Qu Fengguo stems from a sense of aesthetic judgment analogous to 'mono-no-aware.'
Don Gallery West Bund 2879 Longteng Dadao. Until Sun 23.
KAWS: WHERE THE END STARTS
This summer, the Yuz Museum welcomes pop and graffiti art master Brian Donnelly, aka KAWS, from Brooklyn NYC. The illustrator, painter, sculptor, designer, and toymaker recently helped envision the latest version of the Air Jordan Retro 4 sneakers.
Yuz Museum 35 Fenggu Lu, near Longteng Dadao. Everyday until August 13.
New releases and screenings
The Pearl Movie Night series
See a classic for absolutely free. This month is a banger – they’ve got The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Tue 6), The Matrix (Tue 13), both volumes of Kill Bill (Tue 20), as well as the neo-noir sci-fi cult classic Blade Runner (Tue 27).
The Pearl Theatre 471 Zhapu Lu, near Haining Lu. From 8pm.
Wonder Woman
Widely seen as the best thing about the dour punchfest that was Batman v Superman, DC's iconic Wonder Woman now gets her own Hollywood blockbuster movie, directed by Patty Jenkins.
Cinemas around Shanghai Until Sun 11.
The Lost City of Z
Movies as critically acclaimed as The Lost City of Z don’t usually make it into Chinese cinemas, and it’s even more surprising that we’re getting this only two months after it came out in the US. James Gray’s artful, measured historical epic about an explorer searching for a fabled lost city in the Amazon isn’t your average summer blockbuster
Cinemas around Shanghai Thurs 1-Thurs 8.
Stage performances
NT Live: Man and Superman
A fresh take on Shaw's indictment of romance and, indeed, woman-kind. The protagonist, a rich and garrulous bachelor, flees from a pursuing romantic conquest and ends up in Spain, where he engages in a debate with the devil.
Huangpu Theatre Beijing Dong Lu, near Guizhou Lu. Sun 4 and Sun 25.
Things to do
ShanghaiPRIDE 2017
Pull out your rainbow flags. Mainland China’s biggest- and longest-running Pride festival is set to return to Shanghai this year for its ninth edition. Click 'read more' below for the full line-up.
Various venues across the city. Sun 11-Sun 18.
Healing Arts Festival
The fourth annual Healing Arts Festival returns this month, bringing an array of live music, stalls, coaches and healers, creative workshops and healthy food and drinks.
United Valley 462 Changle Lu, near Shaanxi Nan Lu. Sun 11. 10am-10pm.
KFK Presents: Joe Machi
Stand-up comedian Joe Machi, is the latest foreign star to headline Kung Fu Komedy. Winner of the Funniest Comedian competition at the 2013 New York Comedy Festival, expect an awkward yet affable performance from this squeaky-voiced funnyman.
Kung Fu Komedy Club 1 Xiangyang Bei Lu, near Julu Lu. Fri 9 and Sat 10.
Unravel
Shanghai-born and -bred, roving, live-storytelling night presents its fifth instalment, an evening of tales inspired by the theme ‘proud’. Every month has seen a packed-out room and all of the good vibes. It’s unlike any other event in they city – you’ll laugh, you’ll smile, you’ll cry. Got a story to spill? Email unravelshanghai@gmail.com and let them know.
Venue tba Thu 29. 7.30pm.