(Yicai) Sept. 10 -- Shanghai will hold 177 activities under the theme "Light Up Shanghai" during the second edition of its international light festival, which kicks off next week.

Shanghai aims to create an immersive light experience and a wonderful audio-visual feast to boost business prosperity at the second Shanghai International Light Festival, which will run from Sept. 19 through Oct. 18, the city's government said yesterday.

The festival will have one main venue and 16 sub-venues, collaborating with businesses from various areas to create diverse consumption scenarios centered around the "Light +" concept.

The "Light + Business Districts" scheme will cover more than 30 business districts, with "Light Markets" and pop-up stores. The "Light + Sports" scheme allies with 16 events, including the Formula One World Championship's Chinese Grand Prix, to attract visitors with multiple benefits. The "Light + Enterprises" scheme links arms with Lululemon, JD.Com, and others to launch over 50 promotional activities to contribute to developing night consumption.

In addition, the festival is brimming with technology. It will use artificial intelligence and augmented reality tech to recreate the scene of the first lamp being lit in Shanghai in 1882, while upgrading some of last year's highlights, including the Light and Shadow Breathing Bulb, an eight-meter-tall semi-transparent light-emitting diode screen, and the Phantom Light Wonderland installation.

The main venue at the West Bund in Xuhui district will debut a 3,000-square-meter naked-eye three-dimensional dome screen and AI tour guide Xiaolingguang at the opening ceremony from Sept. 19 to 28. The Model Space at the West Bund will host an international light and shadow art symposium.

The 16 sub-venues will each have unique features, with a Double Tower Laser Sky Screen Show at the Science Gate in Pudong New Area and a Skyline Spectrum Symphony Show in Lujiazui. In addition, an Insight Into 220 Caves exhibit based on the thousand-year-old Dunhuang grottoes will cover the streets of Jing'an, offering an immersive experience of the western city's culture.

Shanghai saw 4.03 million nighttime trips last year, ranking first nationwide in the comprehensive night economy index. This year's festival will release consumption potential, drive industrial integration, and rejuvenate the charm of light in the city through "Light + Multiple Industries".

Editor: Martin Kadiev