Coffee festival to wake the senses at West Bund

Visitors to the West Bund in Xuhui District are about to be treated not only to its charming riverfront views and immersive art environs, but also to the heady aroma of coffee.

The first West Bund International Coffee and Lifestyle Festival will run from May 18 to 21, featuring a coffee market and a pet bazaar.

More than 100 coffee brands will showcase their unique coffee culture at the bazaar which will stretch 5 kilometers along the riverfront area.

The pet bazaar will feature more than 20 independent pet fashion brands and hold lifestyle workshops with pet adoption activities.

The festival has everything related with coffee and much more as visitors are also invited to try international delicacies and experience the fun of camping and outdoor sports.

A slew of activities and performances including acappella music, jazz, magic shows, street dance, Peking Opera, and AR interactive events will be staged during the festival as well.

Baristas will show off their skills during the event and lucky draws will be held with prizes such as coffee and exhibition coupons awarded.

It will be the largest international lifestyle bazaar held along the Huangpu River in Shanghai.

The West Bund, a new landmark in Shanghai, is famed for its cultural activities and art galleries.

It houses several cultural venues including the West Bund Museum, Long Museum, Tank Shanghai and Shanghai Center of Photography.

Cafes have also mushroomed in the West Bund in recent years, making coffee culture a new drawcard of Xuhui's riverfront area, and also becoming popular backgrounds for taking photos.

"The West Bund has become a popular and trendy leisure destination in Shanghai and we want to boost consumption," said Jiang Yan, deputy director of Xuhui District Culture and Tourism Bureau, on Tuesday.

The festival is part of the 3rd Shanghai Coffee Culture Week, which will run from May 20 to June 2 as one of the benchmark events of the annual Double Five Shopping Festival.

The city will host a range of coffee-themed promotion and cultural activities as well as popular coffee bazaars during the culture week.

"Shanghai is the city with the most cafes in the world, and coffee culture is an important manifestation of haipai (Shanghai-style) culture," said Wang Yayuan, deputy director of the city government's publicity department.