Shanghai flower show opens Xuhui sub-venue with 2km walking route

The Xuhui sub-venue of the Shanghai International Flower Show opened on Monday, offering a practical outdoor experience for locals and expats through May 11.

The event at the Hengfu Music District, covers an area around Xiangyang Park, Fenyang Road, Fuxing Road M., Baoqing Road and Huaihai Road M. It features a 2-kilometer walking route with 19 themed spots and over 30 recommended photo locations. A full walk takes about 40 minutes.

The main exhibition area is easy to reach from downtown and includes parks, gardens, and historic buildings decorated with flowers.

Highlights include Xiangyang Park, Donghu Green Space, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Greenbelt, and Blackstone Apartments. Many sites mix local music culture with floral displays.

Some attractions offer interactive experiences. For example, the Xietu Road display combines traditional opera with waterfront gardens. Visitors can also try a seed blind box game or enjoy a community gardening wall. At the Hunan Road display, visitors can see the world's first giant Lego flower.

Organizers are focusing on sustainable landscaping this year. Instead of short-lived bedding plants, nearly 50 species of perennial flowers are used, including several newly introduced to outdoor spaces.

Special activities have been arranged throughout the event, including music flash mobs, lawn yoga, rooftop concerts at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and a sycamore concert in Xiangyang Park. The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra also offers about 20 "electronic music museum" mini-concerts accessible by scanning QR codes.

Several nearby hotels, cafes, and shops are offering discounts and flower-themed packages during the event.

Xuhui has set up 24-hour patrols to keep the area clean and safe. Visitors are encouraged to return empty coffee cups to any shop along the route, where sanitation teams will collect them. Organizers will monitor crowd sizes and guide visitors to other areas if it gets too crowded.

Besides the main area, many other parts of the district, including Tianping Road and West Bund Natural Art Park, will host related activities during the May Day holiday.

If you go:

Dates: through May 11, 2025

Admission: Free

Main Site: Hengfu Music District, covering Xiangyang Park and surrounding streets (Fenyang Rd, Fuxing Rd M., Baoqing Rd, Huaihai Rd M.)

How to Get There: Take Metro Line 1 or Line 10 to Shaanxi Road S. Station, then walk to Xiangyang Park

Activities: Music flash mobs, yoga sessions, rooftop concerts, electronic mini-concerts, coffee fairs, and flower displays