Go! Design Community Festival heats up Shekou

Locals in Shenzhen enjoyed a hot winter weekend Dec. 22-23, not only due to the hot South China weather, but also because of the delightful Go! Design Community Festival in Shekou.

Audience members watch short movies beside the sea at the Go! Design Community Festival in Shekou. Courtesy of Design Society

Organized by Design Society, the two-day festival in Sea World brought together the public, designers, schools, makers, musicians and cultural organizations, such as Cinexpress, Gear & Pear, Xiaoyan School of Art, Sure Design and the Gourmet of Cosmos Museum, to share their thoughts on community development through workshops, talks and an open-air market beside the sea.

Visitors gathered at the Coastal Plaza outside the Sea World Culture and Arts Center, playing with gadgets at tech booths, enjoying outdoor music beside the sea and tasting signature local snacks from pop-up vendors.

The wind orchestra from Shenzhen Haibin Experimental Primary School, VIVO band from Shenzhen University, ukulele players from Simple Things, samba drummers from the local Mango-G community and performers from the U.S. Lightwire Theater presented various kinds of performances.

Six Shekou restaurants also provided an array of delicious signature foods to the market, such as Quanzhou noodles, Chaozhou-style zongzi, soft drinks, craft beer and snacks. At night, visitors lay down on comfy sofas outside and enjoyed international short movies projected on the wall.

As an innovative cultural initiative that regularly presents design-themed exhibitions and diverse cultural events, Design Society launched the Go! Design Community Festival in 2016. The organizer believes that anyone can have fun with design and make an impact on the community, and that design can also connect people and help them find solutions.