Via ITN: Police at Yunnan's annual mud festival are smeared by partying locals and tourists. more ›

Things are looking rather festive up north in the DPRK, despite the ongoing furore over a rocket launch that the United States and allies say is a ballistic missile test in violation of a United Nations ban. The Spring Friendship Art Festival opened yesterday in Pyongyang to to celebrate the centennial of the birth of Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea. The Choson Sinbo, a DPRK-owned paper published in Japan, said the festival, which runs till April 19, would bring together about 800 artists from 23 countries. International delegations have been made to visit the supposed birthplace of the Eternal President at Mangyongdae to be "briefed on the glorious and revolutionary history of Kim Il Sung". Also read the KCNA report of the festival here. more ›

Shanghai police estimates that a record 5.8 million people swept tombs over the three-day Qingming Festival, reports Shanghai Daily more ›

The Chinese are turning to environmentally friendlier ways to remember their loved ones during the Qingming Festival, according to Xinhua: more ›

Today is Losar, or the Tibetan New Year, the single most important day in the Tibetan calendar. But for many living in the province, now closed off to the outside world, as well as other Tibetans around the world, there will be no singing and dancing this year. more ›

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A total of 21 floats and 30 performer teams enthralled crowds in a massive parade last Saturday on Huaihai Middle Road to kick off this year's Shanghai Tourism Festival. Featuring the usual flotilla of garish floats, happy minorities and a number of imported acts from Japan, Brazil, Finland, Indonesia and elsewhere, the parade's manufactured carnivalesque atmosphere drew a crowd of tens of thousands. more ›

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We'd like to take a moment to wish all our readers a very happy Mid-Autumn festival! 中秋节快乐！ more ›

Anthony Tao, who writes over at the Heart of Beijing blog, has just returned to China from North Korea, and he has some amazing footage from this year's mass games. more ›

Thousands of people are celebrating the seven-day Shoton festival (also known as the Yoghurt Festival or Banquet), one of the most important festivals in the Tibetan calendar that has been celebrated since the 11th century. more ›

Despite all the fear-mongering typhoon reports, Rizhao Blue MiDi Festival went off without a hitch! Your very own Shanghaiist team braved hell or high water and drove seven hours north to party on the beach in a city that could probably be described as Qingdao's awkward little sister: smaller town, wacky skyline, less to do, more Chinese tourists, and a lot more smiles. more ›

Considering the dearth of live music happening in Shanghai proper this week, we're suggesting you head out of town to either of the two music festivals happening this weekend: Ocean MiDi and Zebra Festival! Ocean MiDi will likely be far and away the better choice, the only problem being it's in Rizhao, possibly one of the least convenient places to get to (no trains or planes go directly to Rizhao, and you'll probably have to combine with buses). The best solution we've found to this problem is renting a vehicle and road tripping, but we'll leave that up to you. Zebra fest is just a hop and skip away in the Shanghai suburb of Jinshan, more info on that here (with bus info). Now if only the weather holds, it looks like a weekend full of beach parties! We'll list the highlights for each day of each festival below. If you're not feeling the festivals, there are some other things happening on Shanghai stages as well, mostly on Saturday and Sunday this week. Read on, or head over to our calendar for more! more ›

Muslims in the capital celebrate Ramadan, the fasting month in the Islamic calendar. more ›

If you didn't make it to this weekend's Midi music festival, then you're probably going to feel the dull ache of regret after taking a gander at the sort of people who did. more ›

So, Mr Big didn't make it after all to Shanghai's Midi Festival due to a visa boo-boo but nothing has stopped the show from going on over the weekend at Century Park. Since it began in 1997, the Midi Festival has grown to become China's largest rock music festival. Midi's Shanghai debut this year is, as Morgan Short of SmartShanghai notes, "historically significant", as it's the first multiple day rock festival ever to be held in Shanghai. more ›

Chinese New Year celebrations light up the night time sky of cities all across China. more ›

SmartShanghai informs us that September not only brings to Shanghai its second Restaurant Week, but actually its second Cuisine Festival as well! And both are striving to be much better than last year. more ›

We can never quite keep up with Chinese internet culture it seems and all the unofficial, but wonderful festivals they have here. Last month, we celebrated the One Night Stand Day on April 19. Apparently, today May 5, is the 50 Cent Day -- and we had absolutely no idea till just now! Well, it's better late than never, we guess. Now, you've got two and half hours left to shower your friends with 50 cent bills (like the one below featuring the ) to celebrate the festive occasion! more ›

We have no idea how authentically Tibetan this is but it sure looks very colourful. more ›

As if to signal the end of another dreary winter, this Spring brings the 2010 JUE Music + Art Festival. A celebration of the alternative, creative and progressive arts in Shanghai with no branding, no restrictions and no hidden agenda, JUE is an excuse not to be cooped up in your apartment. more ›

Maybe you've noticed a cutesy lil' deer mascot named 乐乐 (Lele) posing around town, or maybe you've actually opened up the papers today to see Shanghai media enthusiastically promoting the occasion - but yes, the Shanghai Tourism Festival is starting up this Saturday. more ›

The sun shone on Midi and all was good. And at the end of the first day, Lao Cui said unto the gathered masses, "people say that Western rock music is like a rolling stone. I've always thought of Chinese rock music as like a rolling egg. The stone may be solid, but the egg has the chance of life." more ›

Before we get on with this weekend's live music preview (and there's plenty going on by the way), here's a quick round-up of some recent music news we thought we'd share with you. more ›

So you thought Midi was the only festival game in town? Think again. Three music events - all festivals of a sort - covering three different types of music are heading your way in the next month or so. Yes, we know one of them is related to Expo, but World Music has the right to a festival too and bringing in those kind of artists was never going to escape Haibao's reach this close to 2010. We'll have more details on all of these nearer the time but, for now, here's a preview: more ›

By Matthias Doyle more ›

UPDATE: And just a few minutes later, according to @Neocha, Shanghai Midi is canceled. Apparently there was a permit issue? more ›

The pinnacle of Western Civilization met Shanxi Bei Lu last weekend as Fasia, the first French wine importer and cellar owner in China, threw the very first French wine festival in Shanghai. With on-site wine specialists including a Maitre Sommelier who happens to be one of only 58 recognized in the world, wine enthusiasts enjoyed a well prepared feast of the senses. Fancy! more ›