Music festivals hit Shanghai

Shanghai is now making a slow transition into autumn, which means we are now entering the annual festival season. This year, there are more festivals than ever. Whether it is EDM, Jazz, or any other genre of music, there is sure to be something out there for you.

Just last weekend, Ultra Music Festival, a world-renowned electronic music festival from Miami, hit Shanghai for the first time. Although relatively expensive at 750 RMB a ticket, the highly anticipated festival was still worth it to many viewers. According to Jason Kim (12A), “The food and the music were better than any other festival’s.”

On the 23rd and 24th of this month, Shanghai-based EDM festival Storm is returning for its 5th consecutive year. Showing in 12 cities in China, Storm is making their mark in the international sphere, stepping out of China for the first time to visit Australia. In past years, Storm Festival has literally taken Shanghai by “storm”—early bird tickets that were announced last month sold out in just a few hours. However, it seems as if most of the international “headliner” DJs have already been taken by Ultra Music Festival, and Storm is left with names that are not as popular for the mainstream audience. Nevertheless, if it’s going to be anything like it has been for the past few years, it should be a weekend of good music and fun.

Coming away from the blasting electronic tunes of EDM, we had the “eclectic mixture of music” offered by the yearly Concrete and Grass Festival. Known as a family friendly event, the festival offered numerous activities for children, but not at the expense of good music. Popular alternative artists like Princess Nokia and Thurston Moore Group were headliners for the two-day extravaganza.

And now, last but not least, we have the annual Jazz Festival, JZ Fest, happening in October. For those who enjoy a weekend of spontaneous music and good food in a large outdoor setting, this is the festival for you.

Artists and musicians like Andy Summers and Kool and the Gang will be headlining the family-friendly festival.

Are you planning to go to any of these festivals?  If so, I’ll probably see you there!