SH Weekender, Sept 17-20: Big Fun in The Streets, 23 Ways

A touring troupe arrives in a bleak industrial town, disrupting its quiet routine and setting off an unexpected encounter between Joan, the mayor’s son, and Zaira, a singer from the troupe. Adapted from a Catalan modernist theatre classic, L’ALEGRIA QUE PASSA combines electronic music, live performance, street dance, acrobatics, and physical theatre in a visually driven musical production from Barcelona’s legendary theatre company Dagoll Dagom.

This is a high-definition cinema screening of the National Theatre’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde’s most celebrated comedy. Directed by Max Webster, this contemporary staging stays true to Wilde’s sharp wit while adding physical comedy and modern theatrical energy.

A Cantonese stage adaptation of Eileen Chang’s The Golden Cangue, created by Fok Yam Experimental Theatre. The production brings together a long-running creative team including Ann Hui, Wang Anyi, and Joyce Kwan, and has been staged in multiple cities since 2009.

FUSÉES is a contemporary theatre and live music work by French company La Vie Brève. Featured in the main program of the 2025 Avignon Festival, the performance creates a French fantasy journey to the farthest reaches of the universe through a small puppet theatre, performers’ bodies, and a dismantled piano on stage.

Fotografiska Shanghai and 1436 team up for an autumn art night on September 19. Alongside Fotografiska’s five exhibition spaces, visitors can explore a special presentation of 1436’s 20th-anniversary exhibition, Before Softness, with limited-time guided tours throughout the evening. The 4th-floor lounge will also feature music, dancing, wine and cocktails.

Based on the classic Sunset Boulevard story, this immersive music party combines Broadway musical and jazz elements with cabaret-style interaction and party games. Instead of simply watching the show, guests take on their own identities, interact with characters and make choices that shape their journey through Norma’s world.

Hungarian violinist Kristóf Baráti brings four of Bach’s solo violin works to Shanghai as part of the “One-Man-Show Classical Recital Series.” Known for his expressive playing and outstanding technique, Baráti presents a solo recital exploring Bach’s intricate writing for unaccompanied violin.

Finnish metal veterans Amorphis return to China with their Borderland China Tour 2026. Celebrating more than three decades as one of Finland's most influential metal bands, the group brings songs from their latest concept album Borderland alongside the signature blend of melodic death metal, progressive influences, and Finnish mythology that has defined their career.

International performing artist and music educator Shenel Johns leads a quartet at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai, joined by bassist Jonathon Muir-Cotton, pianist Taber Gable and drummer Caleb Robinson. Johns brings experience spanning jazz, reggae and gospel music, alongside performances with leading musicians including Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

                             

SmSh Team

Heatwolves / Heatwolves

Writer, producer, founder of the music label/collective, Love Bang, and a Shanghai character since 2007.

A-Tweed is a quite prolific Italian producer making quirky, fun house with album titles like "Should I Offend Someone?" and song names like "A Clockwork Lime". The production quality is serious though, and has led to releases on labels like Tresor. " A cohesive journey, crafted for those who seek introspective voyages without giving up new forms of dancefloor communion". Read on

Randomer is a London producer and DJ who's been weaving together techno, electro, UK bass and warehouse sounds into tough, stripped-back and percussive tracks with huge drums and just enough weirdness to keep things from getting too functional. He's been in the game for a long time and recently collaborated with Skrillex on the latter's latest album. Support from Öil Nature, SITU, and Shukai.

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Promoter/former-club SYSTEM is back with another three-room party at that huge theater/e-sports arena at 505 Wulumuqi Lu on Sept 18. Main room is techno with Frazi.er headlining, disco in the Laboratory, and techno, bass, groove, and rave music in the Control Room. Definitely an impressive space, visually - very sci-fi, high production value. Read on

LOFi MOSH LAB teams up with adidas Originals for a free daytime event in Columbia Circle built around “sober-curious” energy, swapping the usual dark club setting for coffee, sunlight, art, and live music. This is the opening party for visual artist Chingi's solo exhibition Memorabilia, which explores memory, objects and fragments of life between Shanghai and the US. For music, intotheHaze plays a live set moving through ambient, experimental, industrial, bass and club sounds, and there’s also DJ sets from Devil’s Hole and Sanchuan, open decks later in the day, plus an open collaborative drawing wall for anyone feeling creative. Read on

Dinamarca is a Chilean-Swedish producer and DJ whose music pulls from Latin club rhythms, trance, ambient and emotional electronic music. A co-founder of Staycore, he’s known for dreamy, high-impact tracks that can feel both euphoric and melancholic, with collaborations spanning underground club music, pop and experimental scenes. This is part of a daylong party that starts outdoors at 4pm and moves inside at 10pm, with sets from Nanofauna, echocatcher, Amber Akilla, Call A Taxi, HeShang, Tom Yeti, Devils Hole, Dinamarca, and YKK.

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Epic is a term that gets thrown all too frequently when talking about post-rock. So much, in fact, that fewer and fewer bands can ever live up to the Herculean expectations that the description requires. But when used in relation to We Lost The Sea, most would have no qualms doubling down and upgrading "epic" to "apocalyptic." The Sydney band has been shaking the post-rock and metal scenes for nearly two decades, captivating audiences with their sprawling, emotionally enthralling, and cinematic walls of noise that put listeners through the wringer. Read on

Episode 34 of the Yuyintang Channel series continues to spotlight emerging (or unsung) bands over at their Basement space - and it’s got an eclectic spread of indie tunes for you with three original bands. You’ve got North Balcony, who use pop melodies as a base, blending rock, jazz, and R&B to create a delicate yet powerful sound; Boom The Island, looking to bring some extra oomph to their indie sound; and Lily & the Blue Vortex - a fresh shoegaze act out of Shanghai that incorporates indie folk, bossa nova, and even psychedelic flair. Roll the dice.

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Hailing from Augsburg, Germany, two decades ago, Heretoir combined post-rock, shoegaze, and atmospheric black metal - swirling blast beats with calm ambient sounds, the intensity of desperate screams with the poignant emotionality of melancholic vocals - ‘a musical journey through an archaic world’. Epic, harrowing, and beautiful in its own tortured way - the band swings through Mao Livehouse as part of their nationwide tour. Joining them are Juno-nominated Canadian blackgaze act Unreqvited, who bring together soaring melodies, crushing emotion, and immersive soundscapes that blur the line between beauty and despair. Read on

Esteemed guzheng player and composer Yu Miao has been a staple of the classical and avant-garde scene for years. Known for her delicately assembled and lushly atmospheric arrangements, her music operates at that sublime intersection between electronica, contemporary classical music, and traditional Chinese music without ever coming off as gimmickry. Never bogged down in its details or ornamentation, Yu Miao composes some truly haunting compositions here - rich in their narrative and emotional pull whilst breathing new life into the ancient instrument. Read on

Two bands, one crew. Two styles, one attitude. Guiyang math rock band Fimoo formed alongside the more pop-leaning indie act Jiojio with pretty much the same lineup. Read on

Experimental soundscapes and performances over at the one and only trigger with a fresh batch of acts looking to push the boundaries of genre. Leading the charge is Clinton Watkins - an artist, academic, and sound practitioner based in New Zealand who uses field recordings, analogue and digital technologies, and unconventional recording techniques to investigate the material, perceptual, and experiential qualities of sound. Joining will be 1010cage, whose sound exists primarily between noise and theatre; Liang Siyi, an electronic music creator based in Shanghai; and Shu Ride, a researcher of difficult sounds.

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Based on the BBC-authorized Bluey IP, Bluey’s Big Play: The Stage Show brings the beloved animated characters from the screen to the stage. Featuring Bluey, Bingo, Bandit, Chilli, and Muffin, the interactive family show follows a new adventure filled with games, imagination, and family moments.

YCIS Puxi Campus Back-to-School Carnival brings together families for an afternoon of food, games and water play on September 19. Expect food and drink stalls, water activities including splash pools and foam cannons, plus student- and parent-led performances and games for different ages. Taking place at the Hongqiao Campus, the carnival is open to families and friends looking for a fun way to kick off the new school year.

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Celebrate WISS’ 20th anniversary at its Sundowner on September 19 from 5–9pm, with live music from the Red Star Band, student performances, pony rides, a bouncy castle and family-friendly games. Food options include Italian, Chinese, Mexican and Vietnamese dishes, along with drinks. Everyone is welcome, with free admission for WISS families with a badge, early-bird tickets at 30rmb and tickets at the door for 50rmb.

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Studio Dare | 大胆 welcomes Barcelona-based photographer, director, publisher and creative director Nacho Alegre for the 15th Photographers’ Meet Up. Nacho is cofounder, publisher and creative director of Apartamento, one of the most influential independent interiors magazines of its generation.

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Throughout September 2026, Yoseikan Budo Shanghai is offering new students a free one-week trial at its Jing'an and Pudong clubs. Choose one week in September and attend any or all of the available classes from Monday to Friday at either club, with training combining elements of judo, karate, boxing, aikido, kendo and other disciplines.

The University of Manchester China Centre hosts an evening of discussion on China’s changing capital markets and what the shifts mean for business leaders and investors. The programme opens with a masterclass by Prof. Arif Khurshed, exploring China’s IPO market through research on IPOs, venture capital, dividend policy, and banking, followed by a roundtable with Allen Zhang, Manchester Global MBA alumnus, Board Member & CEO (East Asia) and Chairman of the East Asia Management Board at Wanzl Group. Read on

United Family Healthcare is offering teachers a complimentary initial consultation at its Shanghai hospitals in Changning, Jing’an and Pudong through September 30, 2026. The promotion is open to current and retired teachers with a valid teacher ID and covers consultations across gynecology, orthopedics and sports medicine, surgery, ENT and ophthalmology. Available to new patients only, with limited spots on a first-come, first-served basis.

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