Youth Concert Season 2 Kicks Off in Passion

The second season of the 2026 "Hi, Yinzhou Ningbo" Urban Youth Concert recently took centre stage at the Star Shining Siming Wharf Theatre in iPN Fishery Factory, Dongsheng Sub-district. Hundreds of audience members gathered along the river, waving glow sticks and enjoying an unforgettable evening amid gentle night breezes and melodious tunes.

It was at this very wharf theatre that the debut concert created countless memorable sing-along moments one midsummer night ago. A year on, the much-anticipated musical rendezvous for Ningbo residents returned. With brand-new performers and setlists, the summer night on the East Bund buzzed with excitement once again.

As dusk fell, lights flickered to life along the eastern bank of the Yongjiang River. The concert officially began at 19:30. Chen Dongmei, Secretary-General of Yinzhou Musicians Association, delivered a warm opening speech to energise the crowd.

“What is youth? It is the freedom to sing openly, the courage to forge ahead, and the passion that resonates with the city! Tonight, on the land of time-honoured Yinzhou, let us meet amid stars, connected by music, youth and aspirations.”

Local Ningbo band Ala Band fired up the audience with New Boy. The upbeat melody instantly lifted the atmosphere. Next, singer Xu Yongjia performed Melody and Glorious Years, his soulful vocals prompting many fans to sing along. When singer Zhang Dan rendered Riding a White Horse, even the night breeze along the Yongjiang seemed to slow down to listen.

Beyond the brilliant performances onstage, the concert shone with lively interaction between artists and the crowd. During the "Guess the Song" game, the band played impromptu tunes, and spectators raced to answer, filling the venue with laughter. As Ala Band performed The Brightest Star in the Night Sky, hundreds of mobile phone flashlights lit up the darkness, forming a sea of twinkling lights blending with the city glow across the Yongjiang River.

“My dream is to keep loving everyone!” a young attendee shouted on site. The most heart-warming segment was the "Dream Relay". Audience members stepped onto the stage one after another to share their wishes: some hoped to open a café, others aimed to get into their dream universities, and many planned to bring their parents to visit Ningbo this year. These dreams, big and small, were voiced beside the Yongjiang and witnessed by rounds of applause.

Hosted by the Publicity Department of Yinzhou District Party Committee, the concert was organised by Yinzhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles and Ningbo Aike Cultural Tourism Group Co., Ltd., with support from Dongsheng Sub-district Party Working Committee, Dongsheng Sub-district Office, Yinzhou Folk Artists Association and Yinzhou Musicians Association. Centred on the theme “Light Up Dreams, Cheer for Strivers”, the event inspired everyone pursuing their goals in Yinzhou.

iPN Fishery Factory is a model of industrial heritage revitalisation. Transformed from old factory buildings, Star Shining Siming Wharf Theatre boasts sweeping views of the confluence of three rivers, emerging as one of Ningbo’s most distinctive open-air performance venues.

Yang Xiaoli, Vice Chairperson of Yinzhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles, commented: “We leverage arts to build new cultural landmarks and promote Yinzhou through creative spaces. We also foster new consumption scenarios to fuel high-quality development. We integrate cultural benefits into daily life and achieve in-depth integration of public art services and urban consumption spaces.”