14 awesome things to do in Shanghai this week

Photograph: Helen Murray, courtesy 247tickets (English Touring Theatre: Othello)

Summer comes with a lot of singing and dancing. This week, we've got an a cappella concert, an opera screening, a Queen tribute concert and tons of music and nightlife events to help you get your groove on. Read on for our picks of the best things to do.

Things to Do

Photograph: Waldemar Brandt via Unsplash

Premier League Asia Trophy 2019

Watch world-class football stars in action this summer as Manchester City, Newcastle United, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers come to China to compete in the Premier League Asia Trophy. All four teams will play in a double-header at Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre on Wednesday 17, with third and fourth place playoffs and final staged at Shanghai's Hongkou Stadium on Saturday 20.

📍Hongkou Football Stadium, 444 Dong Jiangwan Lu, near Sichuan Bei Lu. Sat 20. 6-8pm. 288RMB-1,580RMB. Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

Friday stand-up comedy

Get ready for another stand-up comedy showcase from the Shanghai Comedy Bunker, featuring China International Comedy Competition winner Josh Tyas, as well as the return of Barney Rivera and special guest comics from the US, Ethan Moore and Freddy Stubbins.

📍Cages Bar and Sports, Third Floor, 428 Jiangning Lu, near Wuding Lu. Fri 19. 9-11pm. 80RMB; 70RMB (presale). Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

Music & Nightlife

Photograph: courtesy 247tickets (Queen Tribute Concert)

everything flows Shoegaze Night

In response to the demand to see DJs You and LS who played in May, Specters is having them back for a Friday night of classic and neo shoegaze from China and beyond. Expect deeper cuts emanating out of Southeast Asia intermixed with classics from the UK – Ride, Slowdive, MBV and of course the JAMC.

📍Specters, Bldg D, 753 Yuyuan Lu, near Zhenning Lu. Fri 19. 10pm-5am. Free entry.

The Pearl pres Queen Tribute Concert

Queen was one of the most unique and epic rock bands of our time, and The Pearl’s honouring its legacy. Mixing stadium rock, glam and operatic vocals, Queen exploded into rock arenas around the world with the over-the-top performance antics of Freddy Mercury and the intricate rock stylings of guitarist, Brian May.

📍The Pearl, 471 Zhapu Lu, near Haining Lu. Fri 19. 10pm-midnight. 220RMB; 180RMB (presale). Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

Faded Ghost and Gouachi live at ALL

In the July edition of RADII's monthly event series at ALL, it’ll be presenting a free live music event featuring two Shanghai-based artists. First up is Faded Ghost and her haunted, atmospheric and ritualistic electronic dreamscapes. Next up is Gouachi, a fresh and vital force on Shanghai’s club scene who will be putting up a live DJ set. 

📍ALL Club, Second Floor, 17 Xiangyang Bei Lu, near Changle Lu. Tue 16. 9pm-late. Free entry.

Disc Jockey pres Dabuell and Coubo

Disc Jockey's latest edition brings two DJs together for a night of music, fun and dancing. The show features feel-good funk music from French beatmaker Dabeull and tunes from 19-year-old Russian vibe-maker Coubo.

📍Arkham, Found 158, 168 Julu Lu, near Chengdu Nan Lu. Sat 20. 9-11pm. 160RMB; 120RMB (presale). Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

Eating & Drinking

Photograph: Cat Nelson

Chef's Table: Dining for Dreams

Kids from Dream Co Lab will create their dream dinner using food toys (think tomato, Coca-Cola, apple and chilli or beef, mushroom and peanuts), and Ting Ting Liang (Roxie and RIINK) and Jamie Pea (Egg) will plan a chef's table bringing them to life. All proceeds from the dinner will go towards Heart to Heart, a Shanghai-based charity helping underprivileged kids receive life-saving heart surgeries.

📍Egg, 12 Xiangyang Bei Lu, near Julu Lu. Thu 18. 8-10pm. 388RMB. 

Film

Photograph: Chris Barbalis via Unsplash

Population Boom: Green Drinks July Film Screening

In support of World Population Day, Green Initiatives' monthly film screening tackles the concept of overpopulation. Watch the documentary Population Boom (2013) made by Werner Boote, who also directed Plastic, and join a discussion after the film.

📍Haworth Organic Space, 17th Floor, Eco City, 1788 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Wulumuqi Bei Lu. Thu 18. 7-9pm. 50RMB.

Art

Photograph: courtesy Rockbund Art Museum

An Opera for Animals

Rockbound Art Museum, in collab with Shanghai and Para Site, Hong Kong presents An Opera for Animals, a show that explores the Euro-centrism of Western opera and draws a parallel between acts of staging in opera to the construction of the ‘alternative truths' in the world of technology. Think the world of fake news, selfies and Internet trolls. 

📍Rockbund Art Museum, 20 Huqiu Lu, near Beijing Dong Lu. Until Sun 25 Aug. 50RMB.

Stage

Photograph: courtesy 247tickets (Attraction Shadow Theatre: Let Love Win)

English Touring Theatre: Othello

English Touring Theatre presents Othello, one of Shakespeare's most contemporary plays – a depiction of a life torn apart by prejudice. Venice, a Western colonial power employs the newly married Othello, a Muslim general, to lead their army against the impending Turkish invasion. The strain of fitting into a society riven by discrimination and fear soon take its toll.

📍Great Theatre of China, 704 Niuzhuang Lu, near Zhejiang Zhong Lu. Thu 18. 7.30-9.30pm. 180RMB-580RMB. Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

The King's Singers 2019 Shanghai Concert

Grammy Award-winning a cappella group The King's Singers brings one-night-only vocal excellence to Shanghai. Officially formed by six recently graduated choral scholars from King's College, Cambridge in 1968, the group has since performed in venues from London's Royal Albert Hall to the Opera House in Sydney to New York's Carnegie Hall.

📍Shanghai Oriental Art Center Concert Hall, 425 Dingxiang Lu, near Century Avenue. Thu 18. 7.30-9.30pm. 180-580RMB. Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

La Vie en Rose

Majestic Theatre presents a musical that recalls the legendary life of Edith Piaf. Conceived and directed by the Nice-based theatrical maverick Gil Marsalla and starring Anne Carrere and Nathalie Lermitte, the musical recounts the rags-to-riches story of Piaf's career through her unforgettable tunes, complemented by a visual tapestry of photographs of her life.

📍Majestic Theatre, 66 Jiangning Lu, near Nanjing Xi Lu. Wed 17. 7.30-9.30pm. 280-880RMB. Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

Attraction Shadow Theatre: Let Love Win

The Hungarian shadow theatre group that rose to fame during a performance at the Hungary Olympic Oath Ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics and later won the seventh series of Britain's Got Talent in 2013 will be gracing the stages of Shanghai. 

📍Shanghai International Dance Center Grand Theatre, 1650 Hongqiao Lu, near Shuicheng Lu. Fri 19-Sun 21. 280RMB-880RMB. Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

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