China Shanghai International Arts Festival

What China Shanghai International Arts Festival does

The China Shanghai International Arts Festival (CSIAF) is a state-organized, national-level international arts festival held annually in Shanghai each October–November since 1999, operated by the China Shanghai International Arts Festival Center under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China and hosted by the Shanghai Municipal Government. Across 25 editions it has hosted 800+ art groups and 86,000+ artists from 80+ countries, reaching nearly 95 million audience members, with programming spanning opera, ballet, theater, contemporary dance, exhibitions, youth artist support, and international cultural exchange. The operating entity wholly owns Shanghai Foreign Cultural Exchange Co., Ltd., established in 1983 as Shanghai's earliest performing arts brokerage and the first institution authorized by the Ministry of Culture to organize domestic art groups for overseas performances.

Revenue is derived from three streams: primary government funding from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Shanghai Municipal Government, ticket sales routed primarily through the Damai (大麦网) third-party platform and venue box offices, and corporate sponsorship partnerships. The festival supports a sub-brand, ARTRA (自定艺), launched in 2023 to commission cross-disciplinary works integrating performing arts and visual arts, operated via a dedicated bilingual digital platform. Underlying technology is limited to a digital ticketing platform, a web-based content management system for festival information, and a proprietary Impact Index ranking system used to evaluate featured performances; no AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. The Silk Road International Arts Festival Alliance, founded in 2017, has grown to 180 member institutions across 49 countries, anchoring the festival's international content pipeline.

Name

China Shanghai International Arts Festival

Legal name

中国上海国际艺术节中心

Website

https://artsbird.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The China Shanghai International Arts Festival is a state-organized, national-level international arts festival held annually in Shanghai since 1999, serving general audiences and international performing arts organizations with programming across opera, dance, theater, exhibitions, and youth artist development under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Arts Festival and Cultural Event Organization

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAGAEAG

Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Cultural Festivals & Community Events

SECONDARYBPAGAHAG

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

Keywords

• International arts festival
• Performing arts programming
• Cultural exchange platform
• Youth artist support
• Cross-disciplinary art curation

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Primary funding from Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Shanghai Municipal Government as a national-level arts festival.
2. Ticket Sales: Revenue from ticket sales through Damai (大麦网) platform and box offices at various performance venues.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Partnership sponsorships from enterprises supporting the arts festival and its programs.
4. ARTRA Brand Activities: Revenue-generating activities under ARTRA brand including performances, exhibitions and international art exchange projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The China Shanghai International Arts Festival is an annual government-sponsored international arts festival held each October-November in Shanghai since 1999, presenting stage performances, exhibitions, and international cultural exchange programming. It operates the cross-disciplinary ARTRA brand (launched 2023) for performing-visual arts integration, the Support for Youth Artists Program, and the Silk Road International Arts Festival Alliance connecting 180 institutions across 49 countries. Tickets are sold through the Damai platform and box offices at major Shanghai venues, with programming spanning opera, ballet, contemporary dance, theater, symphonies, and visual arts exhibitions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ARTRA自定艺: A new art brand officially launched by CSIAF in 2023, dedicated to commissioning and producing interactive works integrating performing arts and visual arts, facilitating in-depth dialogue between these two art fields.

Products and services

• China Shanghai International Arts Festival (Annual Festival)

Quantifiable outcome

• 80+ countries and regions participated
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered high and core.

• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)highStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2025ARTRA (a brand under China Shanghai International Arts Festival) received official support from UNESCO's 20th anniversary of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, demonstrating international recognition of the brand's contributions to cultural diversity.
• Sadler's Wells Theatre (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Sadler's Wells Theatre in London is a co-production partner for the Pina Bausch Kontakthof revival, working with China Shanghai International Arts Festival to bring the work to Shanghai audiences.
• Den Haag Arts Center (Netherlands)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Pina Bausch's Kontakthof - a trilateral co-production between UK, Germany, and China.
• Lugano Art and Culture Center (Switzerland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for the Kontakthof project, contributing to international collaborative arts production.
• St. Pölten Festival (Austria)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian festival partner in the international co-production network for contemporary dance works.
• YOUNG剧场coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenter for Shiro Takatani/Dumb Type 'Tangent' performance. YOUNG Theatre serves as the venue partner and co-organizer for contemporary experimental performances under the ARTRA program.
• West Bund Gate M Dream CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for 'Pendulum' performance by Lucy Guerin Inc & Matthias Schack-Arnott. The venue hosts experimental and contemporary art performances.
• Shanghai Foreign Cultural Exchange Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWholly-owned subsidiary of China Shanghai International Arts Festival Center, established in 1983. It is Shanghai's earliest performing arts brokerage company and first institution authorized by the Ministry of Culture to organize domestic art groups for overseas performances.
• Silk Road International Arts Festival AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational alliance established by China Shanghai International Arts Festival in 2017. Currently has 180 member institutions from 49 countries and regions, promoting cultural exchange along the Silk Road.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/thecsiaf?igsh=MWg4NWpsY3lydHEwcQ==
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artsbird

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about China Shanghai International Arts Festival