The Changning branch of the second Shanghai International Light Festival will be held from September 26 to October 2. At a media meeting on September 16, it was revealed that this year's festival, under the theme "Brilliant Changning—Gathering Shimmering Light, Illuminating Beautiful Changning," will feature eight light installations at Livat Shanghai shoppinng center. It will also collaborate with multiple departments to launch activities such as tourism, night cycling, and consumer discounts, offering new cultural experiences for residents and visitors. So, what exactly is in store? Follow "Ning Ning" to find out!

 Connecting urban landmarks to create a ‘strollable light and shadow scroll’ 

From commercial complexes to waterfront spaces, from historic districts to major transport routes, this year's festival aims to integrate light and shadow into the urban fabric, making it a vivid showcase of Changning's development. According to Sha Zhibin, Party secretary and director of the Changning District Landscaping and City Appearance Bureau, the district will adopt a "one core, two axes, three circles" exhibition model to build a comprehensively interconnected light and shadow landscape system.

The core area, the main exhibition zone at Livat Shanghai, will utilize the existing lighting facilities on the building's exterior. Combined with featured spaces like the Breeze Terrace and Nordic Town, it will host activities such as 3D projection shows, interactive light and shadow experiences, and light markets, creating immersive light consumption scenes. The "two axes" along the Yan'an Elevated Road and the Suzhou Creek, along with the "three circles" encompassing the Hengfu Historic Conservation Area, the Zhongshan Park business district, and the Hongqiao-Gubei business district, will focus on public spaces and landmark buildings, presenting a serene, comfortable, yet vibrant nightscape. Decorations along the district's main scenic roads and outdoor electronic displays will synchronize, creating a festive atmosphere where "every scene is a view, every step a picture."

To amplify the festival's impact, Changning District has also planned cross-sector activities integrating "culture, tourism, commerce, sports, exhibition, and greenery." The District Landscaping and City Appearance Bureau, together with the District Culture and Tourism Bureau, will launch the "Best Hongqiao Carnival" public welfare micro-tourism routes, incorporating Livat Shanghai and Zhongshan Park as night tour stops; in collaboration with the District Sports Bureau, they will organize light and shadow night cycling and sports night markets, with some sports venues offering joint promotions; and together with the District Commerce Commission, they will carry out Golden Week consumption promotion activities in business districts like Zhongshan Park, Hongqiao-Gubei, and Linkong, using light as a link to activate the vitality of various sectors.

 Eight major light works convey urban spirit and ecological concepts 

"We hope to use light as the language and shadow as the medium to deeply reconstruct the cultural, commercial, and tourism industry chain, achieving the regeneration of value in urban public spaces," said Zhong Lv, chief landscape engineer of Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design Institute, who detailed the curatorial design at the meeting. The main exhibition zone at Livat Shanghai with "Starlight Convergence • Boundless Symbiosis" as its core, will feature eight sets of light works that combine artistry and conceptual depth, achieving an organic blend of international perspective and local warmth.

"Aurora Invitation" uses the cosmos as its backdrop, creating an immersive viewing path through a canopy screen, circular screens, and architectural projections. Elements like the aurora and star trails interpret the symbiotic relationship between "universe-humanity-city," allowing the audience to feel a cultural resonance transcending geography. "Twin Flowers • Gorgeous Dreamscape" uses the Shanghai magnolia and the Stockholm tulip as symbols, telling the story of the two cities developing side-by-side through a four-act light show and physical installations, conveying the urban concepts of "openness and sharing." "Touch • Light" innovatively transforms lines from the poem "Street in Shanghai" by Nobel laureate poet Tomas Tranströmer into a Braille light "city poem." Interwoven with aqua-blue light effects and water ripple projections, it allows different groups to share the warmth of light and shadow.

Additionally, "Nature's Code" allows viewers to activate ecological imagery through gesture interaction—making animal shapes or using international sign language can trigger images of peacocks, reindeer, etc., visually presenting ecosystem dynamics. "Fish Leaping Under Starlight" uses colored acrylic scales printed with Changning's carbon sink data symbols, transforming abstract ecological indicators into tangible, perceptible public art, making the concept of green development deeply relatable.

 Anniversary celebration coincides with festival to create a ‘Joyful Feast for All’ 

"This year's light festival coincides with the first anniversary of Livat Shanghai's opening. We hope that through the dual benefits of 'Light & Shadow + Anniversary,' residents and visitors can enjoy both artistic beauty and consumer benefits," said Xu Yichao, head of public affairs at Livat Shanghai, adding that the mall has prepared the venue and services, launching a series of public-friendly measures.

From September 19 until the end of October, Livat Shanghai, together with over 300 merchants, will roll out a series of anniversary discounts, shopping rebates, and other consumption promotion activities. Furthermore, during the National Day Golden Week, the mall will host the East China debut of "Dragon's Chant Roaming," Nordic fantasy children's plays, fan concerts, and other performances, while offering up to six hours of free parking to enhance the public experience comprehensively.

The first Shanghai International Light Festival's Changning branch attracted 2.95 million participants and drove an 86.2 percent year-on-year increase in consumption in related areas. This year's festival will continue its purpose of "boosting confidence, promoting consumption, and serving the people," further deepening the integration of culture and commerce, ecology and the city, injecting new momentum into Changning's construction of an "international boutique urban district."

The opening ceremony of the second Shanghai International Light Festival's Changning branch will be held at Livat Shanghai on September 26. The public is warmly welcomed to join this beautiful rendezvous where light and shadow symbiotically merge with the city.