A logo of the 22nd China Shanghai International Arts Festival Photo: courtesy of the organizer

The 22nd China Shanghai International Arts Festival (CSIAF), one of the most anticipated cultural events in Shanghai, is set to open its doors on October 15.

Spanning a month, from October 15 to November 15, the festival will feature a 20 percent increase in activities compared to previous years and nearly 60 percent of the projects will be from overseas, the Global Times learned from the organizers at the launch ceremony on Monday.

The 100-day countdown ceremony held on Monday marked the beginning of the preparations for the festival, which is expected to attract around 6 million visitors. Over 400 events will be held, including performances, exhibitions, art installations, all exceeding the scale of previous editions. The festival's program will be officially announced in August.

The festival aims to showcase premieres, exhibitions, and debut performances, bringing together the best projects from around the world on the stage of Shanghai. 

This year, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the festival will also feature a series of performances, exhibitions, and forums under the BRI theme.

The news of the festival's return in October has garnered widespread attention and support from the arts community both at home and abroad. 

During the launch ceremony, a preview video of the festival was released, featuring more than 40 well-known artists and leaders of performing arts institutions, including Plácido Domingo, Akram Khan, Tan Dun, and Shen Wei, who sent their sincere wishes for the success of the festival.

Global Times