CULTURE and art are indispensable to the Shanghai Nightlife Festival, where over 40 museums and 30 bookshops are opening their doors to night owls from June 6 to 30.

The Shanghai Museum has extended its operating hours for each Saturday of the month and organized a series of special events to offer visitors a different experience from the day.

June 6 marked the first time this year the museum opened its doors in the evening. That night, a temporary marketplace selling museum merchandise was set up in the ground-floor lobby.

Visitors to the museum’s night sessions will be able to view ongoing exhibitions such as “Spring Blowing in the Wind: Jiangnan Culture Art Exhibition,” “Infinite Compassion: The Calligraphy of Zhao Puchu” and “Elegant Friends for a Lofty Studio: Scholars’ Rocks Presented by Hu Kemin.”

Other museums, such as Shanghai History Museum, Shanghai Luxun Memorial Museum and the suburban Jiading Museum, will also host events in the evening hours.

At Sinan Mansions, a cluster of villa buildings in the heart of the former French Concession, the nightlife festival is made up of outdoor concerts, a lifestyle marketplace and snack bars. In one of the buildings in the complex is Sinan Books, which is among the dozens of brick-and-mortar bookshops hosting special events during the festival.

At Sinan Books, 50 desks will be set up for late-night readers between 8 p.m. and midnight every weekend. Special discounts are also available for books and merchandise.

(SD-Agencies)