10 excellent things to do this Chinese New Year in Shanghai

Staying in Shanghai this Spring Festival? Given the millions of people trying to leave, we don't blame you. Keep yourself busy during the break with our guide to the best things to do this Chinese New Year in Shanghai. We've chosen one activity for each day of the holiday to get you started. 

Go out out

Start the Spring Festival holiday with a bang by a night out on the town. A lot of your favourite restaurants and hangouts may be closed, but there's still some nightlife to enjoy over the holiday period. DADA will be open as usual on Saturday with a night of UK Funky, Bass, Garage and Grime from bass monkeys WONKY KONG, and Elevator will be hosting their regular house night Medusa. 

Experience some Disney magic

Shanghai Disneyland are celebrating their first CNY with a host of Spring Festival performances, decorations and food. Catch a dragon dance with a Disney twist, try the specially prepared CNY cuisine at the Wandering Moon Teahouse and, of course, meet all of your favourite Disney characters. The best part about visiting Disneyland during Spring Festival? More space and shorter queue times. 

Eat niangao at Xiandelai

Niangao, or 'Year Cake', is a glutinous rice cake (although the Shanghai take on it actually uses non-glutinous rice), and is a must-eat during Spring Festival. Places all over town will be serving it up, but for a real taste of tradition, head to old Shanghai eatery Xiandelai on Yunnan Nan Lu for their version served with paigu (pork ribs).

Check out Mr. Li's rabbit lanterns

While we can't guarantee that he'll be there – although he usually is, so it's worth a gamble – on the corner of Jumen Lu and Mengzi Dong Lu, a little way south of Madang Lu station, you should be able to find Mr Li, one of the few people left in Shanghai still making traditional rabbit lanterns (the lanterns carried by children during the Lantern Festival that signify reunion and harmony).

We recently discovered that Mr Li has a rival in the world of of rabbit lantern production. You can find his competitor (unnamed) selling his lanterns on Fangbang Zhong Lu (near Yuyuan). He's there at the moment, so go check out his wares!

Burn off those holiday calories at Spinback

If you're feeling conscious about the amount of food you've consumed over the festive period, then a spinning class might be the solution. Spinback Fitness on Jiashan Lu welcomes music requests prior to classes making it one of the friendliest, most fun and cathartic fitness pay-offs in town. Check the Spinback website for an updated version of the holiday schedule.

Explore Shanghai by foot

What with the city being quieter than usual, it's a great time to get out and discover parts of Shanghai you never knew existed, such as Longhua's abandoned railway Kuomintage era monuments and hidden lanes and alleys. We've chosen over a dozen of our favourite walking routes for you to try covering art, architecture, food and history. Click 'read more' below to organise your own solo walking tour. 

Check out some mighty fine art at Shanghai Biennale

One of a few galleries open as usual throughout the period, it's the perfect time to check out some of the works of a whopping 92 participating artists and artist groups from 40 countries worldwide, occupying the atmospheric Power Station of Art, the Shanghai Biennale is definitely worth a visit. Find full schedule details at the Power Station of Art website. 

Visit a water town

As they're normally packed with tourists, this might be the best time of year to take a trip to a water town. Go and experience the tranquillity (and Instagrammable scenery) of Nanxun, Zhujiajiao or Xitang. Check the website for more inormation on our favourite water towns. 

Catch a movie

There are plenty of great films to catch over the Spring Festival period. Aliens come to Earth in sci-fi blockbuster Arrival (on general release now), while Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is in cinemas until February 3 if you somehow haven't seen it already. And you can still catch the latest Disney hit Moana until January 29. The Pearl has also recently kicked-off its 2017 Movie Night series and will be screening the Quentin Tarantino masterpiece Pulp Fiction on February 7.

For even more ways to keep yourself busy this Chinese New Year – including Shanghai's best cycle routes, walks and more – click 'Read more' below.