Annual jazz festival returns for its 22nd edition with a record 17-day program

This year's program is organized around six themes. The opening Jazz Age Carnival at Qiantan Sports Park immerses visitors in a nostalgic Jazz Age atmosphere with swing dancers, vintage cars, vinyl records, and steampunk parade floats.

Jazz Avenue expands last year's street-music format from a single stage to a cluster of four stages, turning the neighborhood into a compact festival. Jazz Riverside takes place at Qiantan Leisure Park, where a grand stage overlooks the Huangpu River. Jazz Around the Town brings pop-up performances to shopping malls, alleyways, and even basketball courts.

The closing weekend features a solo concert by five-time Grammy winner Victor Wooten, who Rolling Stone ranked among the "top 10 greatest bassists of all time", alongside two special concerts led by Chinese soul diva Yuan Yawei (Tia Ray) at the Qiantan 31 Performing Arts Centre. Additional international artists are to be announced.

Beyond performances, the Qiantan Jazz Forum, co-hosted with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, will bring together industry players, musicians and fans for a week of discussions on topics ranging from AI in music creation to live marketing and music education. The festival has also established a long-term strategic partnership with Music China, creating an annual October collaboration through cross-promotion, a shared stage and joint industry salons.

"Culture is a city's most enduring source of competitiveness, and music is one soul of culture," states Wu Jun, deputy director of Pudong New Area's culture and tourism bureau.

"With the conservatory and the instrument exhibition on board, we hope to build a high ground for the entire music industry in Shanghai this October — hopefully a high ground for China also, a musical peak facing the world," Ren says.

Ma Tan contributed to this story.