Shanghai, April 24 — The Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce revealed on April 24 that the 2026 “Shanghai Global Food Festival” has been releasing monthly food guides and curated set menus for different countries since its launch in January. In the first quarter, dine-in orders at all participating restaurants in the city increased by over 18%, and restaurant revenue grew by more than 15%. The event directly drove positive growth in Shanghai’s catering industry consumption in the first quarter.
On April 24, a press conference was held by the Shanghai Municipal Government Information Office to introduce the overall situation and related work arrangements for the seventh Shanghai “May 5th Shopping Festival.”
At the press conference, the head of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce introduced the overall situation and work arrangements for the seventh Shanghai “May 5th Shopping Festival.” He stated that during this year’s shopping festival, Shanghai will host food events such as a Mexican-themed month and will grandly launch the “Shanghai Global Food Super Championship.” This program will air on Dragon TV, featuring over 80 chefs from home and abroad, who will compete through preliminary rounds, six themed battles, and a final showdown to determine the champion. The show breaks down kitchen boundaries, integrating culinary competitions into Shanghai’s landmarks to showcase the collision of global flavors and local Shanghai style.
The seventh Shanghai “May 5th Shopping Festival” will officially begin on April 30, spanning several important holiday consumption periods. The 21 key municipal-level activities can be summarized into five aspects: linkage of culture, commerce, tourism, sports, and exhibitions; leadership of first-release economy; quality improvement of bulk consumption; innovation in digital consumption; and universal access to livelihood services. Highlight events include the Shanghai International Coffee Culture Festival, Shanghai Global Food Festival, Shanghai International Cruise Festival, 2026 Table Tennis Shopping District Carnival, Home Renovation Festival, 2026 Shanghai Digital Life Festival & Double-Quality Online Shopping Festival, and Silver Age Life Festival.
One of the key events, the Shanghai International Beauty Season, will for the first time collaborate with the UK Beauty Season, creating an immersive British garden-themed setting. Chinese and British beauty brands will hold limited-time slow flash events over several weeks, introducing 27 British beauty brands and showcasing over 30 new product launches.
During the shopping festival, key enterprises in Shanghai will host over a hundred market-oriented special events. As a leading commercial enterprise in Shanghai, Bailian Group and its subsidiaries will distribute hundreds of millions of yuan worth of “55” consumption vouchers, innovatively activate the “ticket economy,” unlock new consumption scenarios, enhance inbound consumption benefits, and collaborate with various trendy first stores, new product launches, and creative first exhibitions to ignite a consumption boom in Shanghai with differentiated and immersive experiences.
It is reported that this year’s “May 5th Shopping Festival” will introduce multiple preferential measures. First, subsidies for purchasing new home appliances and digital products will continue, with additional subsidies for self-category purchases. Second, subsidies for trading in old cars for new ones will continue. Third, the taxable invoice lottery will be intensified. Consumers in eight major industries—retail, catering, accommodation, culture and arts, entertainment, tourism, sports, and resident services—can participate in a lottery if their invoice amount reaches 100 yuan, stimulating consumption enthusiasm among residents and tourists visiting Shanghai.