This historic theater up in Hongkou was once a temple, then it was Chinatown, now it's a bubbling club/lounge/bar regularly hosting cabaret theater shows. It's a really beautiful old space with a gallery and theater boxes, with a real feeling of history in the wood,... Read more
Yuyintang is one of, if not the, oldest underground live music houses in Shanghai, and a staple in the city's indie scene. Regular gigs every weekend, with underground acts both international and local. It's small, it's intimate, it has music history carved in... Read more
MAO Shanghai Livehouse is a Shanghai's most active large-sized concert venue, hosting local, national, and international acts every weekend and intermittent week nights. Music ranges from pop, to rock, to large-scale electronic events and raves. Shows vary in start... Read more
Formerly the QSW Culture Center, the Bandai Namco Dream Hall is a huge live music venue with one of the best sound systems in Shanghai. It contains two separate venues. Q.Hall is the larger, and has room for 1500 people on two levels, or 600 people at a seated... Read more
This is a huge government-backed music and arts center. It hosts musical and stage performances from classical to rock, plus has dance studios and areas for kids to learn about music. There are also a number of recording studios on site, with the whole package aimed... Read more
Closed due to health concerns 
The former Shanghai World Expo Cultural Center with seating up to 18,000. It is Shanghai's premier concert venue. Bruno Mars, Queen, Iron Maiden, Troy Sivan, Disney on Ice, WWE... the rule of thumb is if it happens here, it's a #bigdeal, and tickets are going to... Read more
Opened by the owners of Heyday and Chef Danyi Gao, Shake is based on New York supper clubs from the 1960s, where patrons would spend an entire evening at the venue for food, drinks, and entertainment. Shake's dinner menu features fusion dishes like honey cheese tofu,... Read more
Heyday harks back to the glamorous days of 1920's and 30's Shanghai. It's a small, intimate venue showcasing local jazz talents like Coco Zhao. To go with the music is a list of cocktails that riff on Shanghai's decadent jazz era, with names like Heaven Built on... Read more
Dark, intimate and chic jazz lounge set up in partnership with the famed New York institution, Jazz at Lincoln Center regularly rotates in two- to three-week residencies, from fresh conservatory graduates to grizzled industry veterans and regulars at the New York... Read more
Closed due to health concerns State of the art, mid-size livehouse run by one of China's biggest indie labels, Modern Sky (the same folks who bring you Strawberry Festival every year). Equipped with excellent sound, lighting, and LCD screens, this is a great place to see one of the many touring... Read more
Once known as the seedy, underground bar maze Da Tong Mill, this development just off Julu Lu has sprung back to life with a boatload of venues; restaurants, bars, lounges, live music venues, a pretty decent pizza place, a little performance theatre in a bar, the... Read more
Speakeasy-style cocktail bar at the back of the Yongfoo Elite garden. The bartender, a 20 year China veteran who's spent like 10 of them chilling in a bar in Hainan, is a laid-back and... Read more
The smallest, possibly chillest member of the JZ family, this comfortable little café near the Nanjing Xi Lu metro stop is a good bet for light live music like folk, jazz, and bluegrass most evenings. Nice patio. They also do lunch sets and happy hour. Read more
Doubling in capacity from their storied space which closed last year on Fuxing Lu, the new JZ Club is oriented as a proper theater space / concert hall, with a stage set up at one end and basically the entire rest of the club a general audience table seating area, a... Read more
Lucca (formerly known as 390) is smack in the middle of Shanghai’s gayborhood. It's a stone’s throw from Happiness, gay friendly Celia, and Telephone 6, which is just upstairs. You’ll see this place immediately from the mass of gay men spilling out into the Panyu Lu... Read more
The House of Blues and Jazz moved to the Bund from its original Maoming Lu location (opened in 1995) around 2008. It's an upgrade, for sure. Big two-story space with live music nightly. Music is generally good, and includes a lot of soul and funk standards (Motown,... Read more
Basement club next to the Xujiahui metro station hosting DJs and live shows in one room and bar sports in the other. This was one of Shanghai's oldest bars and live rock venues. They first opened at Hongqiao Lu and Yili Lu in 1996, they moved to Xujiahui in 2006. For... Read more
Branch of the acclaimed international jazz club, opened in mid 2019 up in Hongkou. The first one in Shanghai and the tenth worldwide. It is 1,700 square meters, with the main room sitting 300 people at once, but it feels a bit... spare. Like a grey box with a stage.... Read more
This chain beer shop and restaurant from Tampa Florida opened their first international venture in 2016, in Shanghai city. This is their second location, opened in 2018. Basically it's a beer shop with about 400 kinds of bottles including some really rare brews... Read more
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