Shanghai Tourism Festival
By admin on 2015-02-04

Shanghai Tourism Festival is an important tourist festivity which is jointly sponsored by Shanghai Municipal People's Government, Tourism Administrative Commission, Shanghai Municipal Economic Commission and Shanghai Municipal Culture, Broadcasting, Film and TV Administrative Bureau.

Shanghai Tourism Festival is held every year from the third Saturday of September to the 16th day of October. The tourism festival is organized on a large scale and showcases all that the city has to offer to the visitors. The festival acts as a perfect event for locals and foreigners to discover the fascination of Chinese culture and history. A number of traditional as well as non-traditional entertainment programs held across different venues across the city. Some of the events that could be seen during the tourism festival include a "rose wedding" ceremony, float parades and markets. During the festival you could take a tour of the Shanghai Lanes, attend the Chinese Festival at Yu Garden or be at the Century Park to witness the Music Fireworks Festival.

The tourism festival begins with an Opening Ceremony Parade which is composed by the floats; about 20 in number and having different styles perform the cultures of a particular area showcasing their individual charm. Each float comprises of a square team. More than 400,000 people cheered the opening ceremony of the 19th Shanghai Tourism Festival, despite rain spells courtesy of typhoon Sinlaku. Spectators watched 21 floats parade along Huaihai Road in Luwan District and 28 performing squads from both home and abroad. Almost all the floats were decorated with fresh, colorful flowers in keeping with this year's "floral" theme. Haibao, the 2010 World Expo mascot, was the first float to arrive at the main stage and was given a rousing cheer by spectators. It was followed by a squad of huge performing puppets representing different nationalities and marking Shanghai's welcome to Expo. As the floats march forward, the crowds get immersed in happiness. The float parade attracts thousands of people and the streets become an ocean of cheerful chat and joyous songs immediately.