SH Weekender: 25 Events, Parties and Concerts to Hit This Weekend

Fotografiska Shanghai presents emerging artist Huang Jingyao’s solo exhibition La Dénivelée, exploring the relationship between memory, the city and photography through distortion and reconstruction across photography, collage, sculpture and installation.

Step into the world of soul and funk with Selin Miles Supafly and the Soul Soldiers. Paying tribute to legends including James Brown, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, the band captures the spirit of the era through original compositions, powerful vocals and an energetic live performance.

Spanish composer and flutist/saxophonist Jorge Pardo, a pioneer of the Nuevo Flamenco movement, leads this five-piece jazz fusion performance. The program brings together jazz, flamenco, Latin rhythms and other musical influences, with an international lineup featuring musicians from Spain, Venezuela, Taiwan and Colombia.

The French Musical Gala Concert returns to Shanghai Culture Square after three years as a special production for the venue’s 15th anniversary. Led by French producer Nicolas Talar and featuring six internationally acclaimed French musical theatre stars, the concert brings together more than 30 songs from over 10 French musicals.

Zi De Qin She presents the final chapter of their Dynasties series, exploring the origins of music from ancient texts through original compositions. The performance blends instrumental music, vocal pieces, and dance across five thematic chapters, culminating in a reflective finale.

French theatre production Littoral arrives in Shanghai following acclaimed performances in China in 2024. Written and directed by Wajdi Mouawad, the play follows a young man's journey to bury his father, unfolding into a story about memory, belonging, and life after war.

Honey, the club night powered by Sugar House, returns to the new Candyshop lounge near IAPM. Expect hip hop, R&B, afrobeats, edits, and good vibes from DJs Dirty Dishes, MMQ, and Muscle Lee.

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Big techno night at Abyss to kick off the holiday weekend. Spanish techno producer/DJ Héctor Oaks is known for long sets of heavy/industrial techno and EBM on vinyl with extremely sharp technical abilities. He plays Basement New York, Berghain, all those kinda joints. Read on

COULOU is a US producer, DJ and multi-instrumentalist making dreamy, slightly weird music somewhere between ambient, jazz, psychedelia and left-field beats. A lifelong piano and trumpet player, his recent material gets especially floaty and meditative, mixing live instrumentation with hazy electronic production. Basically, music for staring out a window, wandering around, or getting pleasantly lost – so, perfect for Wigwam. Read on

Eternal Shanghai club night & label Love Bang does a holiday night of hip hop house, moon core, and ratchet shit at this neighborhood bar on Thursday night. Music from DJs MMQ and Josie, starting at 9pm and going until at least 1am. House party vibes, spicy cocktails, red lights, and offline adventure. Read on

One of China's finest reggae/dancehall MC's/selectors, Jado, hosts another of his Ruff & Tuff nights at this timeless basement bar in Changning. This one is a mid-autumn festival ting. Music is all over the low-end spectrum: reggae and dancehall, dub and dubstep, jungle and D&B, and maybe some roots. Read on

Proper Drum and Bass Party at YuYinTown in C-Park on Saturday night. “This round, we’re going dark and heavy. Some deep, dark, eerie, brooding, hardcore monstrous shit is building up… and we can’t wait to dive into it with you all. Read on

Fighting evil by moonlight. Winning love by daylight. Never running from a real fight. Read on

OG Shanghai techno producer and DJ Ma Haiping aka MHP celebrates the release of his new EP, "Velocity Unlocked", on the pioneering UK techno label Molecular Recordings, which has been in the game since 1994. This is a collaboration between Vaccum and SYSTEM, with production handled by E‑fRUITY, the electronic branch of the record shop fRUITYSHOP. Further details including location TBA. Read on

Fang, the legendary and highly controversial American hardcore punk band that got their start in the early 1980s, makes their China debut. Led by original vocalist Sam McBride, FANG has influenced almost every significant musician, including Nirvana, Metallica, Green Day, and many others. One of the leading figures in the West Coast hardcore punk movement returns after their stint last year - and they’re hitting up OKOK with help from Round Eye and The Stirrers. Read on

A dream pop and shoegaze feast for the ears, this week marks the eighth edition of the Dream Pop & Shoegaze Festival - heralded by Luuv Label - which, over the last decade, has brought together some of the finest acts in the genre, each ready to wash away all your tears in walls of synth-laced distortion and engulfing reverb. For the occasion, they’ve tapped some truly exceptional talent from here and abroad. Yndling, a rising popular songwriter from Norway, offers delicate and dreamy Nordic sounds with a trip-hop gaze veneer; Thailand's Desktop Error brings a distinctive Southeast Asian distortion to their walls of sound and melodic blend of post-rock, indie rock, shoegaze, psychedelia, and dream pop. Read on

Immersive, lush live electronica at Wigwam as newly formed music label ERPU hosts The Wandering Moon - an intimate gathering and diverse lineup of sound creators from China and abroad who wade through the waters of ambient music, cosmic techno, richly detailed electronic music, experimental pop, and jazz. A strong lineup featuring Kunming duo Run! Rabbit Run! Read on

A new series has been brewing over at Yuyintown - with the biggest selling point being its dirt-cheap price tag - a mere twenty yuan for some rustic rock and roll from across China. A grab bag perhaps, but some serious gems hidden beneath the dust. Special guests this week include Guangzhou’s Landfills, an unruly mix of grunge angst, psych alt rock noodling, and scraps of Britpop crooning that snowballs into a surprisingly accessible sound and a robust ‘pedal to the metal’ musicality. Read on

A killer homegrown lineup over at Yuyintown Cube. Shanghai-based musician Gao Jiafeng, known for his shapeshifting ‘’deconstructed pop’ - a deep dive into the kaleidoscopic world of hyperpop, indie rock, core, dream pop, hip hop, and electronica joins funk rock groomers XChome- full-on funk rock that’s both nerdy and effortlessly cool - and handycam - one of 2026’s most talked-about acts who craft art rock equal parts abrasive and beguiling - injected with experimental alt rock grit, jazzy prog rock finesse, and avant-pop charisma.

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Let the bodies hit the floor over at Mosh Space - featuring some of the metal, punk and hardcore scene’s most visceral characters - giving the Yangpu venue something to ‘mosh’ about. On the menu, you’ve got hardcore ruffians HEADIVE, whose music is full of ferocious riffs and grooves that don’t let up; street punk renegades The Stirrers; and the haunting gothic doom metal band Aeonian Silence; and metal band Orchid, who fuse traditional sounds of China into their sound.

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A fusion of neoclassical, ambient electronic, and free jazz - esteemed jazz songstress Voision Xi - whose exploration of music in all its versatility has made her one of the most imaginative artists Shanghai has been graced with - teams up with two seasoned musicians - bassist D-Ray and sound artist/multi-instrumentalist Zuho for an evening of music at its most intimate and unbound. Expect nothing short of magical.

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Space Panda takes over the HIGHLINE rooftop for a Mid-Autumn Festival party, with hypnotic electronic grooves, a full-moon setting, lanterns and city views.

FULL MOON ROOFTOP PARTY brings deep house, DJs and panoramic views of the Shanghai skyline to a rooftop on the Bund. Expect music, atmospheric lighting, cocktails and VIP experiences as the night moves from moonrise towards midnight.

The N Times Market is bringing its millennium-themed market back to HAI550 for four days of Y2K nostalgia, handmade goods, vintage finds, and early-internet throwbacks. Expect pixel-beaded recreations of QQ avatars — the customizable virtual characters that were a staple of early Chinese internet culture — alongside QQ-inspired ita bags, vintage clothing, original designs, jewelry, collectibles, and other finds from Shanghai-based independent vendors. The market runs from September 17-20, 12pm-9pm, with free entry and an indoor, air-conditioned space at HAI550. Read on