The 24th China Shanghai International Arts Festival Concludes

On the evening of November 27th, the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, hailed as Italy’s “national symphonic treasure,” took the stage at the Shanghai Symphony Hall under the baton of renowned conductor Daniel Harding, performing the closing concert for the 24th China Shanghai International Arts Festival.

Over the past month, nearly 20,000 artists from over 80 countries and regions gathered in Shanghai, presenting more than 500 programs and over 1,400 performances and exhibitions. These events attracted a total of 14.4374 million online and offline attendees, weaving a multi-dimensional, rich, and tangible map of world art.

The 55 main-stage productions, comprising 132 performances, generated nearly 66 million yuan in ticket sales, with the average per-show revenue increasing by 15,700 yuan compared to the previous edition. Eleven international productions, including the Bavarian State Opera’s classic “The Flying Dutchman” and the Stuttgart Ballet’s signature “Romeo and Juliet,” made Shanghai their only stop in China, with many shows selling out immediately upon ticket release.

Simultaneously, the “Art Sky” public benefit program brought 118 performances from 38 countries and regions to Shanghai’s landmarks, commercial districts, waterfronts, and green spaces, creating a “theater without walls.” Approximately 500 performing arts institutions and around 2,000 industry representatives, including members from the European Festivals Association, ISPA (International Society for the Performing Arts), Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and the China Association of Performing Arts, gathered for the International Performing Arts Conference and dialogues. Nearly 600 cooperation intentions were reached within four days.

As “a grand gathering of art and a festival for the people,” this edition of the festival also used performances as an artistic link and ticket stubs as a consumption link. It collaborated with nearly 300 merchants across 43 commercial complexes in Shanghai to launch an “Art Life Guide,” creating a one-stop consumption experience integrating “art appreciation with dining, accommodation, transportation, tourism, shopping, and entertainment.” This comprehensively drove consumption exceeding 4.425 billion yuan, a 10.2% increase from the previous festival.

It was stated that while this edition of the arts festival has concluded, the brilliance of art never fades. “The festival will carry the expectations of the international performing arts industry, using art as the vessel and innovation as the sail, to contribute solid Chinese strength to the prosperity of global performing arts.”