During the launching ceremony, an open-air bazaar was well underway on the two sides of the stage. People swarmed to the stalls, trying and buying everything in sight.

Lasting from July to September, this year’s festival will offer consumers, especially those who love to hang out at night, a very different experience in this summer.  

More than 600 events will be held under the theme “Young City Yeah City” (“羊城夜市”in Chinese) and a total of 300,000 food coupons will be issued.

The statistics show that Guangzhou boasts the most active group of consumers at night in the country. The night consumption accounts for more than 60 percent of the total.  

According to Hong, Guangzhou, with the goal of building an international consumption center, is promoting night economy through the “1+4+X” model, that is one world-class night economic belt, four city-level nightlife landmarks and multiple special demonstration projects.

In the meantime, it will introduce supportive policies for building the pilot areas of “Young City Yeah City” so as to create a sound environment for boosting the city’s night economy.

Besides, an alliance was established to promote the night economy in the Guangdong - Hong Kong - Macao Greater Bay Area. “Through the alliance, we hope to leverage the platform advantages in various fields and pool their resources together to explore the new development path for the night economy and keep innovating in the night consumption scenarios,” said Max Xie, president of Guangzhou Tianhe Road Chamber of Commerce.  

The 2023 Guangzhou Night Economy Development Report was also released at the launching ceremony.

“Guangzhou is well-positioned to develop the night economy. As the government is building the “Young City Yeah City” pilot areas, it will further unleash the city’s consumption potential and expedite the building of an international consumption center,” said Zhong Chaohui, head of Tianhe Institute on Urban Value Innovation.

In the first five months of 2023, the consumption in Guangzhou went up 9.2 percent, with the retail sales of the hotel and catering sectors up 26.6 percent.

Reporter | Fanny, Zelda (Intern) 

Video | Ou Xiaoming, Jimmy

Editor | Olivia, Nan, Will, Jerry  

Photos provided to GDToday