19 brilliant things to do in Shanghai this week

Image: courtesy Lucasfilm (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker)

Christmas and New Year are just around the corner, but for now here’s what Shanghai is offering this week. There’s an art exhibition about sustainability, an ugly sweater party at Bar Rouge, a designer market by Common Rare, the new Star Wars movie and much more. Read on for our top picks.

Things to Do

Photograph: courtesy 247tickets (Frozen Exhibition)

Frozen Exhibition

This legit Disney-authorised exhibition will take viewers into the world of the two Frozen movies in five areas. It’s got interactive video projections on curved screens, life-sized character sculptures and more than 200 movie sketches from Disney animators, plus a Disney Store to complete your Frozen collection.

📍Global Harbor Museum, Unit 4088, Fourth Floor, Global Harbor, 3300 Zhongshan Bei Lu, near Ningxia Lu. Sat 21 Dec 2019-Sun 5 Apr 2020 (Tue-Sun).10am-10pm. 140RMB; 78RMB (early bird). Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

30/60 Comedy Sketch Show: Christmas Special

Join the Shanghai Comedy Bunker at Cages Bar & Sports as the 30/60 Christmas Special delivers 30 sketches in 60 minutes, with the audience deciding what comes next, be it a sketch, song, mime or magic trick. Add WeChat ID 'ShanghaiComedy' to purchase tickets.

📍Shanghai Comedy Bunker, Third Floor, Jingan Sports Centre, 428 Jiangning Lu, near Wuding Lu. Sat 21. 9.30-10.30pm. 80RMB; 70RMB (presale).

Too Cold Market by Common Rare

Common Rare is taking over the gallery on the fifth floor of Réel to celebrate Christmas with its quirky Too Cold Market. The first 50 visitors will receive a Too Cold Market PVC bag while the next 100 will receive a limited edition Common Rare x Inkee Wang poster. Expect indie designer brands and F&B vendors, printing arts, exhibitions and live graffiti.

📍Réel Shanghai, 1601 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Changde Lu. Sat 21-Sun 22. Midday-8pm (Sat), midday-6.30pm (Sun). 60RMB; 50RMB (early bird). Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

Moller Villa Christmas Market

This year AnyHelper is having a Christmas Fair at the historic Moller Villa, a huge hotel located in downtown Shanghai. It’ll include food and beverages, live performances, auctions and free tours of the venue to all fair attendees.

📍Hengshan Moller Villa, 30 Shaanxi Nan Lu, near Yanan Lu. Sat 21-Wed 25. 10am-8pm (Sat-Sun); 3-8pm (Mon-Wed). From 80RMB. Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

Bingo Night Fever Christmas Edition at Mr & Mrs Bund

Give your festive luck a try at Mr & Mrs Bund's bingo night. Enjoy good eats and get the chance to win from its gift line-up, including everything from an iPhone 11 to Dom Perignon Champagne. Bring a friend, as you'll get a board for every two menus ordered.

📍Mr & Mrs Bund, Sixth Floor, Bund 18, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Nanjing Dong Lu. Thu 19. 11pm-1am. From 240RMB.

Music & Nightlife

Photograph: courtesy 247tickets

Skrillex

Skrillex is an American singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, music producer and DJ who is acclaimed for his music videos and albums like First of the Year, Bangarang and My Name Is Skrillex. His career as a musician and singer took off as lead vocalist for rock band From First to Last, and he’s since gone on to bag nearly a dozen Grammys.

📍BEEHIVE, Fourth Floor, Hongkong Plaza South Area, 283 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Jinling Zhong Lu. Wed 18. 10pm-midnight. 380RMB. Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

Ugly Sweater Party

Don your most comical jumper and join Bar Rouge's Ugly Sweater Party. Dance the night away to the rhythms of DJ Antyflex surrounded by Christmas spirit decor and treats as you celebrate the most festive time of the year. Entry is free if you come dressed in a Christmas sweater.

📍Bar Rouge, Seventh Floor, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Nanjing Dong Lu. Sat 21. 9pm-4am. Free entry.

S.T.D. pres Pi'erre Bourne

Pi'erre Bourne is a Belizean-American record producer, rapper, songwriter and audio engineer. He’s known for producing the singles ‘Magnolia’ by Playboi Carti and ‘Gummo’ by 6ix9ine, which peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

📍Arkham Shanghai, 168 Julu Lu, near Ruijin Yi Lu. Sat 21. 9-11pm. 200RMB; 150RMB (presale). Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

Eating & Drinking

Photograph: courtesy Mr & Mrs Bund

Jason Atherton's World Gourmet Tour

Embark on a culinary journey with celebrity chef Jason Atherton and HIYA concept creator chef Alex Craciun. For three nights, you're invited to taste cuisine from London, Tokyo and New York at three exclusive themed dinner parties.

📍Shanghai Tavern, First Floor, The Shanghai EDITION, 199 Nanjing Dong Lu, near Henan Lu. Mon 16-Wed 18. 6-10pm. 438RMB.

Miracle in 1515

Miracle in 1515 is a pop-up Christmas cocktail bar jointly created by Jingan Shangri-La, West Shanghai and KerryOn. Try out its homemade eggnog and season specials such as Santa’s Stash and the Tipsy Snowman, and of course the must-haves at Christmas: hot chocolate and spiced mules. Pop in for a relaxing evening as it lasts till 1am.

📍1515 West Bar, Fourth Floor, Jingan Shangri-La Hotel, 1218 Yanan Zhong Lu, near Tongren Lu. Until Sun 22. 5pm-1am. Free entry.

Beer University: Porter vs Stout

For the 12th and final installation of 2019’s Beer University, it’s time to go dark with a lesson about obsidian-hued dark brews. You'll learn the different brewing techniques that distinguish porters, stouts, dark ales, schwarzbiers and other midnight-coloured beers. For 198RMB, sample six complex pours, including two guest beer imports. For those who have attended ten or more courses throughout 2019, claim your Beer University diploma and Stone-branded glassware.

📍Stone Brewing Tap Room, 1107 Yuyuan Lu, near Jiangsu Lu. 7-8.30pm. 198RMB.

Film

Image: courtesy Carnival Film & Television via IMDb (Downton Abbey)

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

The third and last chapter to the Star Wars sequel trilogy, where the Resistance faces not just the First Order but also their inner turmoil and the past. The fight between the Jedi and the Sith also reaches its peak, ready to pull the curtain down and signal the end of the Skywalker saga.

📍On general release from Wed 18.

Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey (2019) is a sequel to the television series. Set in 1927, the story begins with a notice from the King and Queen of their impending visit to the Crawley family. But when the royal staff arrive at Downton, the Crawley family struggle over an inheritance issue as they are pitted against the royal entourage. Read the full Time Out review here. 

📍On general release.

Jumanji: The Next Level

The crew returns in the third instalment of Jumanji, but everything is different from what they expected. Watch them challenge themselves as they explore unknown parts of the Jumanji world, from the arid deserts to the snowy mountains as they seek to rescue their friend and escape the world's most dangerous game.

📍On general release.

Cocktail Cinema – Miracle on 34th Street

'Tis the season for classic Christmas films. Social Supply is hosting its last Cocktail Cinema of the year, screening the timeless classic Miracle on 24th Street (1947) to commemorate the season.

📍Jingan Shangri-La, 1218 Yanan Zhong Lu, near Tongren Lu. Thu 19. 8-11pm. 250RMB.

Art

Photograph: courtesy 艺十artist via WeChat

Continuous Regeneration

Continuous Regeneration exhibits 40 artists' creations, including Studio CHIAOZZA, MOODEVER, Skunk Control, Onishi Yasuaki, Samuelle Green and many other local and international artists. Various mediums such as drawings, installations and designs are used to cover themes like the symbiosis of humans and nature, water resource protection and sustainable lifestyle.

📍Columbia Circle, The Navy Club, 1262 Yanan Xi Lu, near Panyu Lu. Until Sun 16 Feb 2020 (Tue-Sun). 98RMB (Tue-Fri); 108RMB (Sat-Sun).

Peer to Peer

Originally exhibited at Open Eye Gallery in conjunction with St George’s Hall Liverpool as part of the LOOK Photo Biennial, the exhibition asks 14 influential figures in the field of photography in China and the UK to nominate 14 artists whose works deal with a range of topics, from fluctuating attitudes towards Bitcoin to the rampant accumulation of plastics.

📍Shanghai Center of Photography, 2555 Longteng Dadao, near Longlan Lu. Until Sat 8 Feb 2020. 10.30am-5.30pm. 40RMB; 30RMB (students).

Stage

Photograph: Manuel Harlan

Roald Dahl's Matilda: The Musical

There are still tickets going for Tim Minchin's 'wickedly good story of a schoolgirl genius' (says Time Out London), Matilda the Musical. Now making its Shanghai debut, the gifted autodidact at the centre of Roald Dahl's 1988 novel comes to life in this musical coproduced by the Royal Shakespeare Company.

📍Shanghai Culture Square, 597 Fuxing Zhong Lu, near Shaanxi Nan Lu. Until Sun 29. 7.30-9.30pm (Tue-Sun). From 580RMB. Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

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