At a Glance (China Coffee Network): On the afternoon of June 18, with the Hongqiao Image Art Museum officially unveiled on the first floor of “Youxiang + Xinhonghui” in Xinhang Sub-district, Minhang District, the nearly two-month-long 2026 Hongqiao International Coffee Culture Festival came to a close.
On the afternoon of June 18, with the Hongqiao Image Art Museum officially unveiled on the first floor of “Youxiang + Xinhonghui” in Xinhang Sub-district, Minhang District, the nearly two-month-long 2026 Hongqiao International Coffee Culture Festival came to a close.
According to statistics, during this year’s coffee festival the core area of the Hongqiao International Central Business District recorded 7.75 million visitor trips, up 16.1% year-on-year, and sales of 420 million yuan, up 15.7% year-on-year.
“Behind this series of encouraging figures lies a deep integration of the ‘coffee + culture, commerce, tourism, sports and exhibitions’ model,” said a person in charge of the organizer. Since its successful launch four editions ago, the Hongqiao International Coffee Culture Festival has grown from a mere festive event into a vividly highlighted urban cultural brand in Minhang District’s “15th Five-Year Plan.”
A ‘hyperlink’ to a cup of coffee
Stepping into the newly completed Hongqiao Image Art Museum on the first floor of Xinhonghui at Lane 35, Hualai Road, one finds the 2026 “Love Coffee, Love Life” photography and art exhibition on display.
“Through the lens, we try to capture how coffee becomes the lifeblood of a city,” explained a person in charge of the Minhang District Image Art Association. During this year’s call for submissions, a total of 586 photographic and video works were received from across the country.
According to the organizers, the activity radius of the 2026 Hongqiao International Coffee Culture Festival has expanded from a single commercial complex in previous years to more than 30 events covering the entire area.
The popularity of each event exceeded expectations. For example, relying on events such as the Hongqiao International Boutique Coffee Exhibition and the Green Bean Competition, Hongqiao Pinhui drew more than 30,000 visitor trips, up 30% year-on-year, with sales of nearly 2.5 million yuan, up 54% year-on-year. Another example is the “Niuniu International Food Festival” held at Hongqiao Xintiandi, which generated 36.3 million yuan in sales over five days, up 13% year-on-year, and drew 590,000 visitor trips, up 12% year-on-year.
In addition, the mushanghai International Tech Burning Man Festival at Hongqiao Ali Center attracted 926 young makers from around the world and generated more than 12,000 ecosystem interactions; the themed market at Noah Wealth Center achieved sales of 203,500 yuan and 15,000 visitor trips in three days; and the “Good Products from Baoshan: Yunnan Baoshan Plateau Specialty Agricultural Products Market” held at Hongqiao Libao Plaza recorded three-day sales of 210,000 yuan, secured intended orders worth 1.28 million yuan, and drew more than 28,000 visitor trips…
These seemingly independent scenes were connected into a “hyperlink” through a single cup of coffee.
The Cultural Awakening of Urban IP
If previous editions focused on boosting consumption, the 2026 Hongqiao International Coffee Culture Festival has shown a stronger cultural self-awareness, with a brand-new IP image, “Feihong,” formally stepping into the public eye.
This is another cultural-creative image with distinctive local features for Minhang District, following the “Chunshenjun” IP. Through forms such as government licensing and co-branded development, “Feihong” ran through the Hongqiao International Coffee Culture Festival from start to finish, and also achieved a two-way collaboration with the “Chunshenjun IP” during the Shanghai International Coffee Culture Festival.
“Before there was an IP, the festival was, for citizens and tourists, mostly an event that happened once a year; with an IP, the event brand becomes a concrete ‘friend’ that stays with people over the long term, and the uniqueness of a city IP makes it a potential representative of cultural awakening.”
At the same time, another city IP that had been cultivated earlier, “The First Cup of Coffee upon Arriving in Shanghai,” also extended its activity period this year to more than twice that of previous years, with five consecutive days of free coffee giveaways at Hongqiao Airport and Hongqiao Railway Station, and for the first time entering office buildings and industrial parks on a large scale. Nearly 6,000 cups of coffee were given away over 13 days, a figure exceeding the combined total of the previous three years.
Seeing the ‘person’ behind the coffee
At the awards ceremony of the 2026 “Love Coffee, Love Life” photography and art exhibition, winning works such as “Mangkuan Shuanghongqiao: Internet-Famous ‘Coffee Uncle’ Li Jinhe,” “Fire-Roasted Coffee—’The Shuanghongqiao Coffee Uncle’ Comes to Hongqiao,” and “The Coffee at the First Stop in Shanghai” shifted their perspective from the panoramic scenery of previous editions to focus more closely on individual people.
“Compared with the rich aroma of coffee, the vivid individuals behind it are even more fascinating,” explained Tao Zhijun, director of the professional committee of the Minhang District Image Art Association. In this year’s submitted works, the focused expressions of baristas and the relaxed postures of customers became the main subjects. “Combining coffee culture with photography art becomes an emotional bond; it not only captures and records the good life, but also conveys a city’s character.”
With the completion of the Hongqiao Image Art Museum, this coffee feast has gained a new vehicle. A person in charge of “Youxiang + Xinhonghui” said that, going forward, it will take opportunities such as the 9th China International Import Expo to regularly hold various quality art exhibitions highlighting Greater Hongqiao culture, building another diverse and open art platform grounded in Minhang District’s “Northern Area First” strategy.
“From its first attempt in 2023 to being formally incorporated into the district-level development plan in 2026, the Hongqiao International Coffee Culture Festival has completed a three-stage leap from ‘event’ to ‘platform’ to ‘brand,'” said a person in charge of Xinhang Sub-district. “It proves that when a cup of coffee links industry, talent, and culture, it is no longer a simple consumer good, but reveals the city’s endless creativity and inclusiveness.”
Original title: “Two Months ‘Sold’ 420 Million Yuan: The Hongqiao International Coffee Culture Festival Concludes.”
Author: Huang Yongdi, Jiefang Daily.
A ‘hyperlink’ to a cup of coffee
The Cultural Awakening of Urban IP
Seeing the ‘person’ behind the coffee
Reprint Notice & Disclaimer: This article is reprinted from Jiefang Daily. All rights belong to the original publisher.
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