Poster for the 2026 Taihu Arts Festival. [Photo provided to en.wuxi.gov.cn]
The 2026 Taihu Arts Festival, which also serves as the branch venue of the 25th China Shanghai International Arts Festival, kicked off in Wuxi on Sept 5 and runs through Dec 10, featuring more than 170 events across the city.
Co-hosted by the Wuxi municipal government and the China Shanghai International Arts Festival's organizing committee, this year's program expands to two main venues — the new Wuxi Symphony Hall and the Wuxi Grand Theatre — with additional performances in Jiangyin and Yixing.
The festival opens with Flying Apsaras, a symphonic work inspired by China's space program, to be performed on Sept 10 by three orchestras together for the first time: the Wuxi Symphony Orchestra, the China National Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra, and the Beijing Symphony Orchestra.
Dance drama The Eternal Wave. [Photo provided to en.wuxi.gov.cn]
The lineup spans five categories: orchestral concerts, stage productions (ballet, opera, drama, and musicals), emerging-artist showcases, museum exhibitions, and 35 community outreach events across all districts and county-level cities in Wuxi.
International headliners include violinist Anne‑Sophie Mutter with the Royal Philharmonic, soprano Angela Gheorghiu, and pianist Krystian Zimerman, alongside Chinese favorites such as the dance drama The Eternal Wave.
Local productions are also in the spotlight, with the Wuxi Symphony Orchestra premiering new works and the Xiju Opera, The Pearl Pagoda, selected for the Shanghai festival. The closing performance on Dec 9 is the Wuxi musical Jasmine Flower.
Ticket subsidies and outreach programs aim to make high-quality performances accessible to a wide audience at reduced prices.
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