Shanghai Pudong

The majority of China's holidays and festivals are determined by the lunar calendar and can vary as much as a few weeks from year to year. Please consult a lunar calendar for corresponding dates in the western calendar.

March

• Shanghai Literary Festival
  
  

April – May

• The Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix takes place in April.
• Held annually in the Old Town on the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar, the Longhua Temple Fair dates back to the Ming Dynasty. It coincides with the peach tree blossoms in Longhua Park.
• Nan Hui Peach Festival
• Shanghai International Fashion Festival (late April)
• Shanghai International Music Festival
• The Shanghai International Tea Culture Festival (late April) is a national gala promoting cultural exchange through tea.
  
  

June

• The Dragon Boat Festival, held on the fifth day of the fifth moon, celebrates the national hero Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in the third century BC in protest of the corrupt emperor. Legend has it that people attempted to prevent fish from feeding on his body by throwing rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves into the sea and frightening fish away by beating drums. Today crews in narrow dragon boats race to the beat of heavy drums, and rice wrapped in bamboo leaves is consumed.
• The Shanghai International Film Festival takes place for approximately one week in June.
• The Shanghai International TV Festival takes place in mid-June.
  
  

September – October

• On October 1, National Day celebrates the founding of the People's Republic of China.
• The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th moon, which generally falls in early October. The Chinese spend this time gazing at the full moon and exchanging tasty moon cakes filled with egg yolks, bean paste, sugar and other delectable surprises.
• Shanghai Sweet-Osmanthus Festival
• Shanghai International Fireworks Festival
• Shanghai Oranges Festival
• Shanghai International Tourist Festival
  
  

November

December – January

• The Shanghai International Marathon takes place in December or January.