As Chongqing has boomed since it was opened up to the west in the early 1980s, its nightlife has experienced a similar surge. The city is now full of bars, theaters, clubs and cinemas. The performing arts are well represented at venues including Chongqing Grand Cultural Palace Theater and the imposing Chongqing People's Hall.

The streets are very lively, filled with street performances, stalls and any number of unusual sights. Fan dancing and martial arts performances can be caught in the evenings. As the sun goes down, the neon is switched on and visitors will be greeted with hundreds of neon signs offering the city's most popular food: hotpot. Pots of boiling stock bubble over low flames, in the centre of group-tables. Meat and vegetables are added to this seasoned broth to be dipped into delicious sauces. Hot pot dinners usually cost no more than RMB20, and are a classic Sichuan dining experience.

Chongqing's river location offers a chance to combine sightseeing and entertainment in the form of a night cruise on the Yangtze. Cruise boats set out from Chaotianmen wharf around 7pm, and many of them feature some kind of on-board entertainment.

Chongqing has a lively annual program of festivals. One of the first of the year is the Ciqikou Spring Festival Temple Fair, which fills the streets and laneways of Ciqikou with local color in the form of embroidery demonstrations, stalls making figurines out of dough or sugar, and performances of Sichuan Opera. The annual Chongqing Yongchuan International Tea Culture & Tourism Festival in April features exhibitions and art shows themed on tea. The Three Gorges Tourist Festival features festivities designed to promote the Three Gorges as a tourist attraction, and includes activities like dragon-boat races.

Warning：The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.