Shanghai launches the 2026 Shanghai Information Consumption Festival on May 17 to boost the digital economy and offer shopping subsidies to consumers.

The festival will run through June 17 with 36 major activities across three main sectors: smart cloud computing, the metaverse, and digital content.

Organizers expect the event to surpass the success of last year's festival, which generated 40 billion yuan (US$5.9 billion) in information consumption.

Participating companies will distribute more than 4 million yuan in discounts, free service trials, and shopping vouchers during the event.

"We will focus on industry integration and public benefits to maintain Shanghai's leading position in information consumption," an official from the Shanghai Commission of Economy and Informatization said.

The event comes as Shanghai solidifies its position as the top Chinese city for the digital economy. The revenue of the local software and information service sector reached 1.98 trillion yuan in 2025, which marks a year-on-year growth of 22.6 percent.

The smart cloud computing sector will offer 10 key events for corporate and individual users. Tech firms like UCloud and Qiniu will provide free artificial intelligence tokens and cut prices for cloud server subscriptions by up to 50 percent.

In the metaverse sector, 10 theme events will showcase 18 local virtual reality and augmented reality projects.

Citizens can visit immersive digital exhibitions in the Zhangjiang Science Gates, Xuhui, and Jing'an to experience interactive tech displays.

The digital content sector will target young consumers with 16 entertainment activities. Gaming and anime companies like MiHoYo and Tencent will partner with major shopping malls like Metro City and Bailian ZX to host pop-up markets and stamp rallies.

Online platforms will also offer consumer perks during the festival. Online reading platform Qidian will provide half-price digital books, while Tencent will host the Honor of Kings Challenger Cup finals alongside fan events at the Oriental Pearl Tower.

Major delivery platforms Meituan, JD Delivery, and Taobao Flash Sale also launched a joint initiative for the festival. The three companies promised to improve rider welfare and build a sustainable ecosystem for instant delivery services.