A night festival kicks off in Shanghai on June 5. [Photo/WeChat account: scofcom]

The 2021 Shanghai Night Festival kicked off on June 5 at the Bund Finance Center in the Huangpu district of Shanghai city in East China, with the event scheduled to run to June 20, according to local media reports.

At the launch ceremony the Rising Lab – a research arm of Shanghai business media group Yicai – published its nightlife index report. Covering more than 300 cities around the country, it is based on the number of nighttime bars and movies being screened after dark in the cities, their intensity of the light at night, the range of their buses at night and other factors.

According to the report, Shanghai's nightlife index ranked first, showing the prosperity of the city's night economy.

During the festival, various events will be held – covering shopping, entertainment, culture and sports – to showcase what the vibrant and exciting city has to offer.

Many of the shopping malls have also extended their business hours and launched small markets within their premises and are offering discount coupons.