Enjoy exciting holiday events in Shenzhen

Experience an unparalleled holiday in the vibrant city of Shenzhen, where exciting events await you. From new movies to delightful coffee and beer festivals, from special activities at centuries-old markets to an array of exhibitions and performances, this holiday promises to entice all senses. As an added bonus, a brand-new library and an art museum have been unveiled, offering more enriching cultural experiences.

Movies

Several new Chinese movies, such as Chen Kaige’s “The Volunteers: To the War,” Zhang Yimou’s “Under the Light” and Herman Yau’s “Moscow Mission,” just hit the screen, while popular U.S. movies “A Haunting in Venice,”“Oppenheimer” and “PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie” and more are showing during the holiday.

Booking: WeChat miniprogram “猫眼” or “淘票票”

Events

Coffee, shopping

Coffee events and shopping festivals are being held at One Avenue (卓悦中心) in Futian, OH Bay (欢乐港湾) in Bao’an, Coastal City (海岸城) in Nanshan, Vanke Plaza (万科广场) in Longgang and One Mall (壹海城) in Yantian through Oct. 6. Live music, fun games, pet events and more will leave you feeling relaxed and entertained.

Photos from the event organizers unless otherwise stated

Light shows in Futian

The light shows in central Futian are played every night on the façades of the high-rise buildings through Oct. 6 (except Sept. 30). The shows start at 7:30 p.m. 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and each lasts 15 minutes. Visitors hoping to watch the light shows from Civic Center Square are required to make reservations via the “福田中心区夜景灯光预约导引服务” WeChat miniprogram. You may also watch them without reservations from other locations nearby such as Lianhua Hill.

Metro: Line 2 or 4 to Civic Center Station (市民中心站), or Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站)

Visitors take photos of light shows in central Futian District. Photo by Lu Ying

More Than Tipsy Festival

Over 150 brands of craft beer and bars will gather at UpperHills for the More Than Tipsy Festival, where you can have a sip of beer, cocktails and whiskey, as well as enjoy ice cream and snacks. A special section of Macao snack booths will be added to this year’s festival.

Time: 4-11 p.m., Sept. 29-Oct. 2 (craft beer); 5-11 p.m. Oct. 3-5 (bars)

Venue: UpperHills, Futian District (深业上城)

Metro: Line 10 to Donggualing Station (冬瓜岭站), Exit E

Beer festival

Now through Oct. 6, more than 40 craft beer brands will gather at the Kingway Brewery-turned Jinpi Fang in Luohu for a beer festival that will also feature live jazz and ballads for your enjoyment.

Venue: Jinpi Fang Cultural Block, Luohu District (金啤坊文化街区)

Metro: Line 5 to Buxin Station (布心站), Exit B

Fairs

Indulge your passions and explore the forefront of innovation at two exhilarating fairs: the Shenzhen International Auto Show and the Shenzhen International Video Game Festival, where cutting-edge automotive marvels and thrilling games will take center stage.

Venue: Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, Futian District (深圳会展中心)

Metro: Line 1 or 4 to Convention and Exhibition Center Station (会展中心站), Exit D

Discover new venues

Shenzhen Library’s north division and Shenzhen Art Museum’s new site have started their trial operations. The art museum is displaying its paintings and photographic works selected from its collection.

Venues: Shenzhen Library’s north division and Shenzhen Art Museum’s new site, Longhua District (深圳图书馆北馆和深圳美术馆新馆)

Metro: Line 4 or 6 to Hongshan Station (红山站), Exit A1

Scan the codes to book your visit to the two new sites.

Old markets

During the holiday, the Guanlan Old Market in Longhua, Qingping Old Market in Bao’an and Gongming Old Market in Guangming will host events featuring food markets, intangible cultural heritage items, hanfu shows and folk performances. At these centuries-old markets, visitors can experience the traditional culture, folk beliefs and customs and distinctive architecture in a mix of Lingnan, Hakka and Western styles.

Qingping Old Market (left), Gongming Old Market (top right), Guanlan Old Market (bottom right). Dream-like light shows are projected onto the façades of old towers and houses in Guanlan Old Market every night (7:30 p.m.-9 p.m.).

Venue 1: Guanlan Old Market, Longhua District (观澜古墟)

Metro: Line 4 to Guanlan Station (观澜站), Exit B

Venue 2: Gongming Old Market, Guangming District (公明墟)

Metro: Line 6 to Heshuikou Station (合水口站), Exit D

Venue 3: Qingping Old Market, Bao’an District (清平古墟)

Metro: Line 11 to Shajing Station (沙井站), Exit D

Splashing molten metal

A show of splashing molten metal (打铁花) to create sparkling streaks of light is staged every night (8:20-8:40 p.m.) alongside a ticketed light show running through Oct. 6. Sparks rain down as performers spray molten iron to simulate fireworks. This folk art is a national intangible cultural heritage item.

Venue: Mission Hills Ecological Sports Park, Longhua District (观澜湖生态运动公社)

Metro: Line 4 to Mission Hills Station (观澜湖站), Exit A

Visitors enjoy a show of splashing molten metal at Mission Hills Ecological Sports Park. Photo by Chen Jianhua, Fan Baixiang

Performances

Percussion festival

The 14th Shenzhen Percussion Culture Festival will feature two gigs, with Izumi Koga, Victor Bastidas, Benoit Stasiaczyk and Chinese jazz musicians performing Oct. 4 and Antonio Sánchez, Stéphane Galland and Antoine Pierre on Oct. 5.

Time: 7 p.m., Oct. 4-5

Venue: Fountain Plaza, outside One Avenue, Futian District (卓悦中心喷泉广场)

Metro: Line 1 or 10 to Gangxia Station (岗厦站), Exit B

Musicians at the 14th Shenzhen Percussion Culture Festival.

Philharmonix, Katherine Jenkins

Philharmonix, an ensemble featuring members of the Vienna Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic, will give a concert blending classical, jazz, rock, pop and other elements. Welsh mezzo-soprano singer and songwriter Katherine Jenkins, known for her crossover music style, will show off her powerful voice at a concert accompanied by pianist Katherine Rockhill.

Time: 8 p.m., Sept. 30 (Philharmonix), Oct. 8 (Jenkins)

Booking: WeChat account “szyyt_piao”

Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, Futian District (深圳音乐厅)

Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D

Flamenco, piano

The Spanish dance troupe Compania Flamenca Antonio Andrade will present “My Flamenco Carmen” based on Bizet’s opera. Russian pianist Anna Geniushene who won the silver medal at the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition will play a night of pieces by Weinberg, Chopin, Schumann, Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff.

Time: 3 p.m., Sept. 30 (piano); 8 p.m., Oct. 6 (flamenco)

Booking: WeChat account “深圳滨海艺术中心”

Venue: Bay Opera of Shenzhen, Bao’an District (深圳滨海艺术中心)

Metro: Line 5 to Baohua Station (宝华站), Exit A

A cappella

The Amsterdam Theater A Cappella Choir will present an evening of soothing German, Dutch, English, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian songs.

Time: 8 p.m., Oct. 3

Booking: WeChat account “PingShanTheatre”

Venue: Pingshan Theater, Pingshan District (坪山大剧院)

Metro: Line 14 to Pingshan Square Station (坪山广场站), Exit D1

Concerts

Although it’s still autumn, Austria’s Wiener Johann Strauss Virtuoso will play a repertoire of classical masterpieces usually heard at New Year concerts. Meanwhile, young pianist Pianoboy will give a recital of easy-listening tunes. And the Accent Symphony Orchestra from China will play selections from Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake,”“The Nutcracker” and “Sleeping Beauty.”

Time: 7:30 p.m., Oct. 1 (Tchaikovsky), Oct. 2 (Pianoboy), Oct. 3 (Wiener)

Booking: WeChat account “juchengwangluo”

Venue: Nanshan Culture and Sports Center, Nanshan District (南山文体中心)

Metro: Line 1 or 12 to Taoyuan Station (桃园站), Exit B

‘Swan Lake’

The Moscow State Ballet is set to enchant the audience this holiday season with the timeless classic, “Swan Lake.”

Time: 3:30 p.m., 8 p.m., Oct. 5

Booking: WeChat account “SZpolytheatre”

Venue: Shenzhen Poly Theater, Nanshan District (深圳保利剧院)

Metro: Line 2 or 11 to Houhai Station (后海站), Exit E

Dance festival

The 2023 Greater Bay Area Dance Festival will feature performances by troupes from Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macao, Shanghai, Chongqing, Malaysia, the U.K. and Israel.

Time: 7:30 p.m., Sept. 29-Oct. 3

Booking: WeChat account “gdszlgcc”

Venue: Longgang Cultural Center, Longgang District (龙岗文化中心)

Metro: Line 3 to Longcheng Square Station (龙城广场站), Exit D

Free exhibitions

Enamels, fossils, more

At Shenzhen Museum’s History and Folk Culture Division, exquisite Canton enamels, Jehol Biota fossils formed 120 million years ago and exhibits centered on the lives of Hong Kong and Macao youths in Shenzhen are on display at three exhibitions. At the museum’s ancient art division, embark on an interesting journey at a voyage-themed exhibition or admire paintings by masters such as Dong Qichang, Wu Changshuo and Gao Jianfu or review the glorious history of the Dongjiang Column guerrilla force at three exhibitions.

Booking: WeChat account “iszbwg”

Venue 1: Shenzhen Museum’s History and Folk Culture Division, Futian District (深圳博物馆历史民俗馆)

Metro: Line 2 or 4 to Civic Center Station (市民中心站), Exit B

Venue 2: Shenzhen Museum’s Ancient Art Division, Futian District (深圳博物馆古代艺术馆)

Metro: Line 9 to Hongling South Station (红岭南站), Exit A

Maijishan, Tang relics

Visitors can meet fascinating smiling sculptures from the magnificent Maijishan Grottoes in Gansu Province at an exhibition running through Oct. 29. Meanwhile, another exhibition of Tang Dynasty (618-907) relics excavated from Jinxiang County Princess’ tomb in modern Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, is being held until Nov. 26.

Booking: WeChat miniprogram “南山博物馆预约”

Venue: Nanshan Museum, Nanshan District (南山博物馆)

Metro: Line 1 or 12 to Taoyuan Station (桃园站), Exit B

‘The Breeze From the Sea’

Step into the serene world of Chinese paintings created by an array of masters from the 19th-20th centuries at “The Breeze From the Sea” exhibition running through Oct. 22. Visitors can observe the paintings’ eclectic artistic character.

Venue: He Xiangning Art Museum, Nanshan District (何香凝美术馆)

Metro: Line 1 to OCT Station (华侨城站), Exit C

Paintings

The Guan Shanyue Art Museum, which is dedicated to preserving and exhibiting Guangdong master Guan Shanyue’s works, is hosting the “Innovation of Painting” exhibition featuring paintings and sketches by Guan (1912-2000) during his trip to Southwest China between 1940 and 1946. Meanwhile, the “Cultural Inheritance” exhibition showcases over 100 Chinese artists’ freehand-style oil paintings.

Booking: WeChat account “gsyart”

Venue: Guan Shanyue Art Museum, Futian District (关山月美术馆)

Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit F2

Ticketed exhibitions

Paintings, architecture

Locals have a rare opportunity to admire more than80 masterpieces created in the 1920s-1940s by Xu Beihong (1895-1953).The works are at an exhibition at the Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning that runs through Nov. 12. Chinese artist Ding Yi is exhibiting his abstract paintings featuring cross patterns at another exhibition running through Oct. 15. Award-winning architect Ma Yansong is showcasing his iconic architecture models and projects at his exhibition running until Dec. 17.

Booking: WeChat account “深圳市当代艺术与城市规划馆”

Venue: Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning, Futian District (深圳市当代艺术与城市规划馆)

Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit A2

‘King Tut Immersive’

Immerse yourself in the mystical realm of ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun at the “King Tut Immersive” exhibition. Prepare to be mesmerized by dazzling visual works through virtual reality, holograms and digital projections.

Venue: MixC World, Nanshan District (华润万象天地)

Metro: Line 1 to Hi-tech Park Station (高新园站), Exit A

Digital immersive exhibitions

Two digital art exhibitions are being held at OCT Harbor: “AiIris Through Time” draws its inspiration from the classic tale of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” and “Piying Dream” is an immersive exhibition celebrating traditional Chinese shadow puppetry. Please note that the ending date of “Piying Dream” has been rescheduled to Oct. 8.

Venue: OCT Harbor, Nanshan District (欢乐海岸)

Metro: Line 9 to Shenzhen Bay Park Station (深圳湾公园站), Exit E

Two Dali-themed exhibitions

Step into the surreal world of Salvador Dali through two exhibitions that will leave you spellbound. The exhibition at Block Sixteen in Nanshan features Dali’s print art, while at the Meisha Art Center in Yantian, Dali’s works come to life through immersive digital projections.

Venue 1: Block Sixteen, Nanshan District (高北十六创意园)

Metro: Line 1 to Shenzhen University Station (深大站), Exit A2 and then take a taxi

Venue 2: Meisha Art Center, inside Vanke Conference Center, Yantian District (万科国际会议中心内梅沙艺术中心)

Metro: Line 2 to Yantian Road Station (盐田路站), Exit D and then take a taxi