Chongqing - Since July, the weekly "Chongqing Night · Nanbin Concert" concerts on Nanbin Road have drawn huge on-site crowds and millions of online viewers, turning classical and original music into the city's latest weekend hit.
Singers perform on the square outside the Chongqing Planning Exhibition Hall on Nanbin Road, Nan'an District, on the evening of Aug. 21, 2026. (Photo/Zheng Yu)
As night falls over the Yangtze River, crowds gather along Chongqing's Nanbin Road. Some wave fans, some hold up their phones to film, and some cheer as the music begins against the glittering skyline.
This is the "Chongqing Night · Nanbin Concert", a free outdoor performance held regularly since July. Pairing live music with the city's famous riverside night views, it has quickly become one of the most popular ways for residents and visitors to spend a weekend evening in Chongqing.
Tickets snapped up in a minute
At 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 23, violins, cellos, flutes, trumpets and a harp filled the riverside platform of the Chongqing Planning Exhibition Hall, their sound mingling with the lights across the river.
Online, fans were just as excited. "I finally got a ticket!" one wrote. "I set several alarms, and they were all gone in a minute," said another.
Since it launched on July 10, the series has held seven concerts, each offering 600 free seats, said Guan Hong, head of the Chongqing International Culture Association. Ticketing pages have drawn up to 150,000 visits for a single show.
Online audiences are even bigger. Livestreams average more than 1.2 million views per concert, peak at 4.29 million, and total views across platforms exceed 10 million.
At a special National Day concert on Sept. 29, Canadian singer Jon Steingard took the stage. Content related to his visit to Chongqing drew about 480 million views online. On TikTok, many overseas users commented that his song “City of Light” made them want to visit China, and some said they added Chongqing to their travel lists.
Bringing great music closer to home
What makes the concerts so popular? Many residents say itis a chance to enjoy high-quality music for free, right on their doorstep.
The Oct. 23 concert opened with the orchestral piece “Lights of China”. Chen Qian, who lives in Liangjiang New Area, said she used to think symphonic music had nothing to do with her. "It was grand and moving," she said. "Now I want to go to a concert hall for a more formal symphony experience."
Liu Fang, a student at Chongqing Technology and Business University, discovered the concert by chance while out with friends. "When I looked down from Taichang Road and saw an orchestra playing outdoors, I fell in love," she said. "It's regular and free. I'm adding it to my weekend list, along with the drone shows!"
Xiong Xiong, head of the Chongqing Symphony Orchestra, said the orchestra carefully chooses and rehearses every piece. “Lights of China”, for example, was inspired by the Chongqing episode of a documentary of the same name and draws on a well-known Chinese song, making symphonic music more accessible to the audience.
Audience members enjoy a vocal performance on the square outside the Chongqing Planning Exhibition Hall on Nanbin Road, Nan'an District, on the evening of Aug. 21, 2026. (Photo/Zheng Yu)
The concerts also feature original musicians. When Steingard sang “Sold Out” at the National Day show, the crowd erupted. "Is that the original singer?" one viewer asked online. "Yes, it's really him!" another replied.
"By bringing original musicians to the stage, we want people to get close to the creators and understand the stories and culture behind the music," said an organizer.
More than a concert
The concerts are also changing how people experience the riverside. "Nanbin Road used to be just a photo backdrop," said Xie Ming, a local resident. "Then came the drone shows, and now the concerts. You have to be here in person to feel its charm."
Organizers plan to add music-themed markets featuring intangible cultural heritage crafts, street art and local food, aiming to turn a free concert ticket into a full night out. "We want to turn one show into a whole ecosystem," said an official with the concert's organizing team.
The series is also exploring new formats. On Oct. 30, a special intangible cultural heritage concert featured the Tongliang dragon dance, boatmen's chants and Sichuan opera face-changing. Organizers described it as a prelude to the Ninth China Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo, which opens in Chongqing on Nov. 6.