18 amazing things to do in Shanghai this week
Photograph: Annihilation
Another week and another seven days of great stuff to do. Bruno Mars is here, Natalie Portman is a badass scientist on the big screen and BottlesXO is throwing a rooftop cocktail party. Read on for our picks of the best things to do.
Food and Drink
Hi Spirits - A Rooftop Cocktail Extravaganza by BottlesXO
Head to one of the greatest rooftops in the city for a day party celebrating the sunshine and BottlesXO's soon-to-be-launched range of signature cocktails. The boozy delivery service is getting together up with a team of mixology masters and keeping the bar(s) stocked with the best quality spirits and mixers, with Bar Centrale providing great Italian bites.
WE Rooftop Seventh Floor 135 Yanping Lu, near Wuding Lu. Sat 21. 12-8pm. Free.
Wine Lips
Taste six out of 12 choices from some of the biggest names in the natural wine world at this Wine Lips event. Everything on the table will be organic, sustainable, biodynamic, natural and/or all the above. It’s 180RMB for six tasting glasses out of 12 choices. Tickets will be 200RMB on the door. Kicks off at 7pm, goes til late.
RAC Coffee 322 Anfu Lu, near Wukang Lu. Thu 19. 7pm-2am. 200RMB.
China Restaurant Week Spring 2018
Hundreds of Shanghai restaurants, from casual everyday eateries to super fancy fine dining joints, have dropped their prices to offer set-menus. Extract the QR to book tables.
Location tba. Until Sun 22. 68RMB (lunch); 108RMB (dinner).
Taco Chino
Mexico meets China at this returning two-day pop-up at D2F (the floor above Diner on Wuyuan Lu). Think cornflour taco shells laden with gongbao shredded chicken, garlic aubergine or thrice-cooked pork belly (from 25RMB per taco), plus sides like mapo nachos (48RMB; Sichuan peppercorns, queso, jalapeños) and a Laoganma radish and scrambled egg quesadilla (38RMB).
D2F (above Diner) Second Floor, 145 Wuyuan Lu, near Wulumuqi Zhong Lu. Fri 20-Sat 21. 7pm-late. Free entry.
Music and Nightlife
Bruno Mars
Photo: courtesy organiser
The disappointing/controversial/sensational (choose your own adjective) winner of Grammy's for Record, Album, and Song of the year Bruno Mars is here, finally, playing shows this Friday, Saturday and Monday. Good luck getting tickets, though. You might have to figure it out scalpers or something.
Mercedes Benz Arena 1200 Expo Avenue, near Gaoke Xi Lu. Fri 20; Sat 21; Mon 23. 7.30-11pm.
Hitorie
Four-piece Hitorie - in town to plug new album ai/SOlate - combine rambunctious rock riffs with slick pop production and bounce-along beats for an infectious, utterly Japanese sound.
Bandai Namco Base 179 Yichang Lu, near Jiangning Lu. Sat 21. 5-8pm. 330RMB; 230RMB (presale).
Dizzy Dizzo x Al Rocco
Dizzy Dizzo has teamed up with Al Rocco for a new collaborative single entitled 'Sauce'. The pair will unleash the track at Le Baron this Thursday, performing it live and letting you feast your eyes on the accompanying music video.
Le Baron Seventh Floor, 20 Donghu Lu, near Huaihai Zhong Lu. Thu 19. 10pm-5am. Free.
Lydmor
Fantastic Danish electro-pop artist Lydmor returns to Shanghai - the city she spent six months in 2016 and which inspired much of her new album. She's been performing some incredible-looking live shows in Europe in the last few months and this ought to be a very special night at ALL. Do. Not. Miss.
ALL Second Floor, 17 Xiangyang Bei Lu, near Changle Lu. Thu 19. 10pm-1am. 80RMB.
La Boum – Mr & Mrs Bund turns 9
Mr & Mrs Bund celebrates nine fabulous years of food, drink and dance with '70s and '80s disco tunes and a 'disco chic' dress code. Free entry before midnight, after the clock strikes 12 it's 100RMB per person including one drink.
Mr & Mrs Bund Sixth Floor, Bund 18, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Nanjing Dong Lu. 11pm-3.30am. Sat 21. Free entry (before midnight); 100RMB (after midnight, includes one drink).
Things to Do
Record Store Day Market
The all-day celebration of vinyl music returns to Shanghai for its sixth year. This year's record market, hosted by Uptown Records and Daily Vinyl will feature over 20 vendors selling a mixture of rock, pop jazz, electronic, hip hop, classical and more.
Uptown Records 115 Pingwu Lu, near Xingfu Lu. Sat 21. 2-8pm. Free entry.
Ladies Who Tech in Action x UMASS
Ladies Who Tech in Action is partnering with leading educators in the Internet of Things (IoT) space, UMassAmherst, to bring together inspiring and aspiring female influencers from different backgrounds to ask and address questions like: Why should IoT matter to us? How will we benefit from it? How will IoT affect our everyday life?
P2 Hero Centre, Building 3, 28 Yuyuan Lu, near Tongren Lu. Wed 18. 6.30-9pm. Free.
KFK Spotlight: Ben Frank – Let Me Be Frank
Kung Fu Komedy regular Ben Frank is headlining the club with his new show Let Me Be Frank. One of Shanghai's slickest and most recognisable comics, frankly, we think you'll be into this. Support comes from Alejandro Scott, Björn Dahlman, Danay Kidane and host Mohammed Magdi.
Kung Fu Komedy Fourth Floor, 1 Xiangyang Bei Lu, near Julu Lu. Sat 21. 8.30-10pm. 70RMB; 50RMB (presale).
Superwomen in Data
The third edition of Superwomen in Data features Managing Director of Artefact North Asia Jo Chuan Kue; digital, social and CRM manager Mandy Zi; Sales and Operations Director of Medtronic Olga Yanovskaya; Producer/Host at House Film Sarah Zhang; and Managing Partner of Style Vision Asia Genevieve Flaven.
WeWork (Yunnan Lu) 118 Yunnan Nan Lu, near Jinling Dong Lu. Thu 19. 200RMB; 180RMB (presale). Extract QR to book tickets.
Spit-Tunes Shanghai: A Poetry and Music Collaboration by Spittoon and TSLR
Beijing's beloved poetry-music performance collaboration comes to Shanghai, brought to you by Spittoon Collective and The Shanghai Literary Review. Featuring poets Matthew Byrne, Alexandra Holub, Robbie Yan, and Elena Sichrovsky, as well as musical artists 非要 (Fiao), Pourquoi Pas?!, Slushat Diru, and Jukka Ahonen.
Meka Lounge Fifth Floor, Building C, 700 Huangpi Nan Lu, near Hefei Lu. Thu 19. 60RMB; 50RMB (presale). Extract QR to book tickets.
SCC: Friday Night Stand-Up Comedy ft Gene-George
The affable and unpredictable Gene-George is the featured comic at The Shanghai Comedy Club stand-up showcase, with support from Dwight Wozich, Lincoln Daw, Stephen Smith, Barney Rivera and host Ian Badenhorst.
Shanghai Comedy Club Third Floor, 428 Jiangning Lu, near Wuding Lu. Fri 20. 9-10.30pm. 70RMB (includes one drink).
Film
Annihilation
A team of scientists goes on a secret expedition into a disaster zone that defies the law of nature. Expect a trippy thriller with a meditative and mysterious ambience that'll leave you wondering what it was all about.
On general release. Extract QR to book tickets.
Isle of Dogs
This stop-motion animated film follows a pack of talking dogs who help a Japanese boy find his lost dog on a trash island. With director Wes Anderson doing his usual auteur thing, this movie oozes his signature tone of playful wit blurred with straight-faced drama and sentiment.
On general release Fri 20. Extract QR to book tickets.
Rampage
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson destroys everything in his path with the help of giant monsters. The film, loosely based on the 90s video game of the same name, follows a primatologist out to solve science gone wrong.
On general release. Extract QR to book tickets.