See the Wuzhen Theatre Festival take over a water town

What the experience is

Wuzhen is one of the old water towns of the Yangtze delta, in Zhejiang province. Its canals, stone bridges and timber houses were restored in the early 2000s. Since 2013 it has had a second identity. Each October it is the setting of a theatre festival founded by four people: the developer Chen Xianghong, the actor Huang Lei, the playwright and director Stan Lai, and Meng Jinghui, the leading director of experimental theatre in Beijing. Their model was Avignon and Edinburgh, where a festival takes over a whole town. The festival has continued every year since; the 2025 edition was the twelfth and the 2026 edition was announced for mid-October.

The programme has four main parts. The invited plays bring companies from abroad and from across China. A competition for young theatre artists presents short new works. A series of talks and workshops puts directors and actors in front of the public. The fourth part is the carnival: throughout the festival, outdoor performances take place on bridges, quays, squares and boats. They include mime, puppets, dance, music and folk opera, and they are what many visitors remember.

The main venue is the Wuzhen Grand Theatre, built for the festival and designed by the Taiwanese architect Kris Yao. Other performances are given in an old open-air theatre on the water and in converted buildings.

When to go

The festival is held in mid to late October and lasts about ten days. Dates and themes change each year and should be checked when the programme is announced.

Good to know

The festival takes place mainly in the West Scenic Zone (Xizha), which is closed to cars and entered by ticket. Seats for the main productions sell out quickly, and the whole town fills up: rooms sell out months ahead and prices rise. The carnival is staged across the town, and many visitors come without theatre tickets and are content. Staying inside the zone makes a difference, since the day visitors leave at dusk. The nearest high-speed station is Tongxiang.

Why OKYTO recommends it

A water town can feel like a stage set. For these days it is a real one, and the audience is young, Chinese and knowledgeable. Just outside the old town, Alila Wuzhen is a modern interpretation of a water town.