The Heim x Alter Up 2 U Warehouse party in Jinqiao last month was a good one. Photo: Heim
Shanghai clublife is changing fast. Only a few pre-Covid venues remain, there's so many parties and bookings every week, and it's hard to keep up with everything if you don't follow venues'/promoters' channels (and a lot of promo is Chinese-language only). Our mission is to help you know what's goin' on, all in one central place, every month and to spread the word about good events.
That said, a lot of good events don't get announced until a week or so out. As always, check out our events listings to see what's on. Some of the best nights are the ones with local and domestic acts and resident DJs.
Club News for June
A render of the new C-Park location for experimental venue/club, Cedar, opening this month
Over in C-Park, aka "the Underground INS", the new space by DIY/experimental space Cedar Kitchen is almost ready to open, and they've got a party on June 6. It's called Cedar Land. We've been, and it's unlike anything anywhere, with 360 surround sound, multiple rooms, and some surprises. Super cool.
Also on the DIY vibe, The New Writing Supermarket, home to some of the most creative and most fun parties of recent years at their Xinhua Lu loft (RIP), has a brand new home up in Putuo at 889 Plaza. They'll have an opening party on June 13.
After a few stints at Tx and at the old Celia location on Nanyang Lu, community-oriented club Heim is pretty much back at their original location on the corner of Changle Lu and Shaanxi Nan Lu, at what is now called Green Station. All of Heim's club nights this month are here in their Sauna room, which thankfully has AC.
System returns for a while, at the e-sports arena in the Shanghai hotel on Saturdays from June 13
System is back – for a couple of months, anyway. From June 13 until early August, they'll have a pop-up party at the Arcane: League of Legends arena in the Shanghai Hotel on Wulumuqi Lu, near Yan'an Lu (same spot they did a party last month). They say, "The second chapter of our secret-location series is about to begin. From June 13 until early August, every Saturday night, the doors will open once again. The same hidden location. Different rooms. Different themes. Different worlds to step into."
Neighborhood coffeeshop/scene hangout Spoke Beverage Room, which often has DJs from the Illum/ALL/Exit quadrants playing sets in the evening just did some rennovation – looks like a better flow now.
Roam, the three-story Hubei bistro/cocktail bar/small club on Yan'an Lu from the people behind the lay-down bar Tang, is on pause "to reorganize the space and rethink the direction of the nights ahead" and will "probably reopen in 2-3 weeks." Tang remains open.
Finally, word on the streets is that someone has taken over the Found 158 club space that used to house 44kw, which was the precursor to System. Not sure what's going in there but construction is well underway. Seems The Pit still has a lil juice in it.
The Shortlist of Parties/Club Nights/Raves: June 2026
Here's a quick list of some bigger and more unique events this month. This is not everything.
The clubs below are generally open every weekend and some have events during the week too (for example, Wigwam and INS are open daily). There's still lots more great nights and bookings on around town, so be sure to check our event listings, and our list of nightclubs. This is alphabetical.
Bass/Club Music/Techno/Trance
Abyss has numerous bookings on the harder end of the techno spectrum this month, including THAM on June 5, CLTX on June 12, and the duo Botox Fatale on June 26
June 5 @ Heim Sauna, Beijing-based bass/techno/club music producer Luxixi performs live at this showcase called Butterfree.
Producer Luxixi performs live at Heim Sauna on June 6
June 6 @ Reactor, Gully Riddim has their nine-year anniversary party, with a stacked lineup of DJs playing bass, grime, drill, dubstep, and D&B across two floors. The headliner of the night is UK producer MssingNo and it's also the release party for Shanghai-based producer and core Gully Riddim member Zean's new EP. For fans of heavy bass, this is the party of the month for sure.
June 6 @ Exit, there's a party called Techno Worlds x VACUUM｜FINAL SAMPLING: ESCAPE VELOCITY. This is in association with the Techno Worlds exhibition at PSA (running until June 28), and the lineup features Indonesia artist ECILO and Shanghainese techno producer Ma Haiping, both of whom have released records on Jeff Mills' Axis label. Should be a good one for techno heads.
June 12 @ Dirty House, Seoul-based DJ Kollin brings her mix of Ukg, Dubstep, and Baile Funk to this small club in INS.
June 13 @ Potent, Milian-based artist Matisa plays her "bright, bubbling and emotional sound".
June 19 @ Dirty House, Norwegian producer MRD lands at INS to drop some Eurodance, trance, and techno that might be fast but not hard.
June 20 @ Heim Sauna, the Dutch producer/DJ Jasmín, who has released on Hessle Audio, joins one of Asia's best producers, Knopha, for a night of techno-dubstep hybrid beats, house, and club music.
June 27 @ ILLUM, KNOT has Vol. 4 of their Truth and Lies series, featuring Hong Kong vocalist QQBBG and Taipei's Liu Qoo. Music is Hyperpop, trance, and techno.
June 27 @ Potent, Spanish techno and house DJ Anika Kunst headlines the night with support from 10000 and DJ EBP.
Drum & Bass/Dancehall/Reggae
June 5 @ Defun, the 19Hz crew are doing their monthly night of dnb at a newer space in Putuo that did some rennovation in March. Apparently it's a small room with a bangin' soundsytem. Music by Fractale, Siesta, Yadong, Aho, and Kalapas.
June 19 @ C's, one of the city's oldest and most beloved dives hosts a night for Reggae, Dancehall, Soca, and hip hop, with DJs Skinny Brown (Popasuda), Alex (Shanghai Yard), and Robsensei (Dubshottas).
Shanghai-based DJs Floating (left) and Illsee (right)
Dark Dance Music/Electro/Goth/Industrial
June 13 @ Exit, the long-running Synth Crush night returns for an evening of Electro, Italo Disco, Techno, House, Breaks, IDM, etc., including live sets by Altieri 3000 and Velvet Robot.
June 13 @ Specters, Love Bang returns with their newer night "The Woods", playing goth, darkwave, dark italo, industrial, post punk, EBM, and witch house.
June 26 @ Specters, The Devil's Dancers returns for Post Punk, Cold Wave, Minimal Wave, Dark Wave, and Shoegaze.
June 27 @ Fenrir, the metal bar by Columbia Circle has live acid techno by duo JAAL The Machine along with shows by metal bands Blood of Life, Chimera Cult, and Soulitude.
The New Writing Supermarket's WALK · POSE · SERVE at West Bund Art Museum last month
Experimental/Mixed-Genre/Off-Venue/Just Some Parties You Should Know About
June 6 @ Cedar Land, the brand new C-Park location for the restaurant and experimental music/DIY/anything goes venue has a not-the-opening party with performances by several artists, including Elizabeth Gabrielle Lee and xiexie3lla.
June 13 @ 889 Plaza, The New Writing Supermarket has the opening party for their new space. They're making an Art Supermarket and recruiting 30 artists/creators from across the universe for this. "Everyone gets exactly 2 square meters. Within these 2 square meters, you can do whatever you want." Interested parties can reach them via their WeChat account: 新写作超市.
June 13 @ Shanghai Hotel, System returns to the e-sports arena here for pop-up parties that are happening every Satuday until early August.
June 18 @ Yu Garden, Alter has the third installment of their Pavillion series, with a big lineup including Chingyi, Chuan, ⼩喇叭 (Xiaolaba), Golgol, Chiyokoo, 王萌 + 于淼 ( Wang Meng + Yu Miao ), and Pei.
June 20 @ Wigwam, Liminal Dreams has a night that focuses on ambient and outer music from across Asia.
June 27 @ Exit, Hexscape pres. Bi-NON & chillchillshit A/V Live. Should be an intenese and immersive performance by this talented duo bringing hypermodern sound and visuals. Chuan, Na$ty, and Toyn round out the night on DJ support.
HK rappers Young Queenz and NOLY at Reactor last month for PREME. Photo: @ifathenb_athereforeb
Hip hop/Beats/R&B/Funk/Soul
June 6 @ Found 158, promoter Sugar House is doing the afterparty for FEAST Festival, with a Y2K-themed popup club playing R&B, Hip Hop, and Afrobeats from all eras.
June 9 @ Reactor (Pocket Room), FRUITYGROOVE, the party branch of the fRUITYSHOP record store have a night upstairs at the C-Park club, with Soul Navigator, KaleidoJazzlegs, dada, Dreaming, and gkamkbns. Expect hip hop, funk, soul, and some jazz.
June 12 (DJ Yida) and June 19 (DJ David) @ HUSH, two bookings that represent HUSH's current style, which is trap, rage, hip hop and edits.
June 12 @ Illum, NYC-based rapper 99 God headlines the night, with support from a bunch of DJs in the hip hop/beats/bass/club music scene, including Warlock from Preme and 647.
June 13 @ Reactor, producer Nosaj Thing plays the C-Park Club. After emerging from the LA beats scene with classic solo material in the late 00's/early 10's, he's gone on to produce for Kendrick Lamar, Kid Cudi, and more, and continues to release on labels like LuckyMe.
June 26 @ C's, the Cypher Park hip hop party/jam returns for freestyles with a bunch DJs and MC's going off in multiple languages.
June 27 @ Le Fin, Whoo Kid, the Queens, NYC DJ who came up together with 50 Cent and G-Unit, is playing a set at the INS Club. He's one of the most famous mixtape DJs of all time.
Shanghai-based grime/drill/bass producer Zean plays his label Gully Riddim's Nine-Year Anniversary party on June 6 at Reactor
House & Disco
Every Friday (plus one Saturday and probably Dragon Boat Thursday), X-Bar is doing a pop-up at Upper Nook with DJs playing house and disco.
June 5 @ Wigwam, Singapore's Dean Chew, founder of the influential Darker Than Wax label, plays the club along with Oolong and Paradice Sinema.
June 5 @ Found 158, promoter Dongxi has their Canto Club afterparty at the FEAST festival from 10pm, with DJs playing Cantopop, Disco, and music from the 80s and 90s.
June 20 @ Exit, Italian producer Steal Tapes headlines the night, with support from Sam TBD, Queenie, and more.
June 27 @ Wigwam, there's a warmup party for the Youshan Festival, which happens in a "Secret Forest" in Hebei on July 17-19. Lineup TBA but the fest is house, downtempo, minimal, ambient, techno, bass, and trance.
Hush Club, in INS
The Current State of Clubbing
Shanghai's nightlife is heavily concentrated in two malls right now: the chaotic commercial clubbing zone known as INS near Xintiandi, and the underground-focused C-Park just a bit south of Zhongshan Park. That said, outside of these two we've still got a decent amount of clubs scattered around the neighborhoods, bigger touring acts are playing at livehouses more and more, and some promoters are throwing cool parties in off-venues like warehouses, museums, and other locations.
C-Park, aka "Underground Music Park"
People have been calling this place "the Underground INS". Located near the Yan'an Xi Lu metro station out west in Changning District, the basement of the C-Park mall is like a ma la tang of clubs, bars, livehouses, food stalls, and more, and it really encapsulates a good portion of what's happening right now in Shanghai with underground music, culture, and fashion. The place is crowded every weekend with young, mostly-local ravers, rockers, punks, cybergoth fashion kids, skaters, chillers, and party people. It's a super cool yet friendly and approachable vibe, and still somewhat low-key. There is no cover to get into C-Park.
Illum, Shanghai's new home for Chinese underground sounds and fashion
The mall itself was designed by Gensler, the same firm that did the Shanghai Tower and JFK Airport. Beijing-born chill club Wigwam opened here in 2024, but the whole basement zone really took off at the beginning of 2026 with Yuyintang, Specters, Illum, Reactor, Sympathy Angel, and more all opening within a couple months. The place is great, and I've been here most weekends in 2026 while trying to resist its magnetism and support venues elsewhere as much as possible too.
INS, aka "Into Nothing Serious"
Shanghai's main commercial clubbing district is a young, messy, crunk, and insane place in Fuxing Park called INS, aka Demon Town. It's a six-floor mall set up like an amusement park, with different entry passes and dozens of venues and attractions inside, like hip hop/pop club La Fin, trap/rage/hip hop club Hush, house/techno small club Dirty House, and K-Pop boys fantasyland Culture Club. Everyone should experience INS at least once, and it's one of the best places in Shanghai for people watching (posting up with a tall boy on the bench is a strong move, and free). You do have to pay a cover charge to enter the building. The theme for June is "Game World", so expect some video game type decorations.
If you leave INS at 5am, watch out for Mario! He'll get ya!
The place is packed on weekends, and the crowd leans local but there's a heavy international contingent as well. It's a younger crowd that prioritizes fun over music – lots of people wandering in and out of clubs, trying to find their friends or colleagues, hollering in the elevator, etc. The place stays busy even on weeknights. One friend called the INS venues "chessboard clubs" because of how difficult it can be to traverse their dancefloors. History is looping: Fuxing Park was also a major commercial clubbing destination 20 years ago, with era-defining clubs like Muse Park 97, Richy, Cashbox Partyworld KTV, and Guandii.
Night Places in other Neighborhoods
Shanghai's home for harder, faster techno and more, Abyss
In Tx Huaihai, you've got Shanghai's house of hard techno, Abyss, and popular-with-boys two room club Potent, which has pop in the main room and techno/house/electro bookings and a bangin soundsystem in their second room. In Jing'an, Heim is a diverse, community-oriented club where bouncier, more-textured and melodic house and techno (not hard techno) form the club's core sound. Not far from there is Roam (currently on pause until probably late June), a small club playinghouse and techno until late. Exit in Changning is a basement club that has some good bookings and sometimes some darker dance music. Down the road from that is C's, an eternal dive bar born in the year 2000 that many of the city's DJs started out at; programming is diverse, the cookies are delicious. Cedar Kitchen on Julu Lu is a fun, DIY kinda venue in a car garage with experimental live music and underground DJs, good shawarma, and the unexpected.
La Social
On the general pop and international side of the spectrum, you've got La Barra, REVO, La Suite, and Le Soir in Jing'an, and the second iteration of Parisian club Le Baron upstairs at The English Corner in Xuhui. For Latin music, you've got bar/club La Social and restaurant La Diosa, which are a quick walk from each other. For big room EDM, MAX is a big sensory-overload kinda commercial EDM club on Huaihai Lu. And down on The Bund, once a major nightlife destination, there's a commercial club called KEV where Bar Rouge used to be and also the rooftop lounge club Sky Dome.
