Chen Xiaochun

654789759@qq.com

THE 14th Shenzhen Fringe Festival is back, featuring a remarkable lineup of 92 art performances presented to Shenzhen citizens by 159 artists from 24 groups from home and abroad through this Sunday.

Over a span of 10 days, residents can immerse themselves in art and performances at various locations such as the Nanshan Culture Center, Nantou Ancient Town and OCT-LOFT. The festival boasts a diverse range of artistic expressions, encompassing music, theater, dance, innovative intangible cultural heritage, visual arts, exhibitions, family activities, immersive bus concerts, street performances, and even fringe pop-up stores.

This year’s festival, themed “Fringe Marathon,” consists of five sessions, Fringe Stage, Fringe in Town, Fringe Open, Fringe Bus and Fringe Shop. It unfolds with hundreds of performances in theaters, alleyways, and every conceivable or inconceivable space, creating an extended journey where the audience can embrace diversity at every turn.

The Fringe Stage session featured “It’s Dreaming” Concert and “Folk Dance” last weekend and Gatsby’s Ballroom Jazz Concert yesterday at Nanshan Cultural Center, showcasing diverse musical elements and artistic styles.

Engagement takes center stage in this year’s festival. The Fringe in Town section, which lasts through Sunday in Nantou Ancient Town, welcomes diverse folk theater troupes, seamlessly intertwining life and art to provide audiences with the chance to experience the unique charm of local culture from multiple perspectives.

Portuguese street art group Seistopeia formed by Marisa Freitas and Victor Rodrigues will present a living statue performance called “Cloud Umbrella” at three different places in Nantou Ancient Town from tomorrow through Sunday. The performance will bring you back to your childhood dreams, a place full of wonderful magic.

JOHNman, an artist from Germany and the artistic director of the World Living Statues Festival, has also returned to the festival. He has been awarded the title of the Champion of the World Living Statues Festival in 2010 and 2013. This year, he will bring his works “Candy Man,” “Woody” and “Blanko” back to Shenzhen. Citizens can watch his performances every day through Sunday in Nantou Ancient Town.

The Fringe Open combines novel outdoor experiences. The Tipsy Running event will recruit 30 sports enthusiasts, led by professional coaches, to complete a 1-kilometer warm-up run starting from the east gate of Zhongshan Park and ending at the north town wall of Nantou Ancient Town tomorrow.

JOHNman will draw on participants’ bodies with fluorescent paints and run together with fluorescent light in the ancient town at night. After the run, participants will head to PuTogether to enjoy the special Shenzhen Fringe Festival beer, chat together and relish the cozy ambiance of the weekend night.

The Fringe Shop is an art product under the Shenzhen Fringe Art Center, gathering new artists, creatives, designers, and other art brands from all over Asia. With fresh ideas and open art concepts, it provides art consumption experiences including exhibitions, sharing sessions, scene experiences and art product sales, providing a new gathering place for art lovers. You can check it out at Nantou Ancient Town through Sunday.

The festival is organized by the Publicity Department of the CPC Nanshan District Committee, the Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports Bureau of Nanshan District, and the 2023 Shenzhen Fringe Festival Committee.