Mayor Lurie Celebrates Signing Of MOU Between SF Ballet And Shanghai International Arts Festival

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today celebrated the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the San Francisco Ballet and the Shanghai International Arts Festival on the second day of his first international trip to Shanghai and Seoul. The MOU will establish a three-year framework to explore presenting San Francisco Ballet performances in Shanghai as part of a future Shanghai International Arts Festival, while expanding partnership and collaboration between the arts organization and cultural exchange between the two cities.

Signed during Mayor Lurie’s trip to Shanghai and Seoul, the MOU builds on Mayor Lurie’s work to elevate San Francisco as a global arts, culture, and dance city while ensuring the local arts community continue to drive the city’s comeback. Since the start of 2026, the mayor has announced free live music and performances in neighborhoods across San Francisco. Early in his administration, the mayor announced the inaugural SF Music Week to spotlight San Francisco’s renowned music scene and launched a citywide show guide to boost local arts and entertainment. This year, he celebrated the return of SF Music Week this year following last year’s free downtown concert series and a successful "Summer of Music" that drew tens of thousands and generated over $150 million in local economic activity.

“San Francisco’s arts and culture institutions are critical to driving our economic recovery,” said Mayor Lurie. “By coordinating performances, expanding audience engagement with community events, and exploring long-term collaboration between the Shanghai International Arts Festival and San Francisco Ballet, we are strengthening cultural ties that will deepen cultural exchange and bring new energy to San Francisco.”

The signing is another milestone of Mayor Lurie’s first international trip as mayor—visiting China and South Korea to strengthen San Francisco’s sister city relationships with Shanghai and Seoul, deepen arts and culture partnerships, and promote tourism to San Francisco.