THE sky above Century Park in Pudong New Area lights up with color a few nights each year during the National Day holiday as the Shanghai International Music & Fireworks Festival takes place.

Initiated in 2000, the "Symphony of Fire" is one of the Shanghai Tourism Festival's highlights.

With specially scripted music, audiences get a mix of audio and visual pleasure. But as wonderful as the fireworks shows are, Pudong has much more to offer during the annual tourism festival.

The tourism festival will conclude on October 6, including Shanghai Wildlife Park, Shanghai Science & Technology Museum, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and others.

The fireworks festival will feature six shows presented by artists from China, the United Kingdom, Canada, Austria, Germany and Spain. Two shows will be staged on the nights of September 30, October 3 and October 6.

Fireworks can be traced back about 2,000 years in China with people through the centuries believing them to be useful in scaring away evil spirits and getting rid of bad luck. Today they are mostly about having fun. Using the night sky as a canvas, fireworks artists paint their fantasies with pyrotechnics. This year viewers will be able to see "golden rain" and "blossoming peonies" among other creative ideas.

Fewer tickets will be sold this year to ensure safety. A total of 25,000 tickets (both sitting and standing) are available for each show, down 8,430 from last year. More security guards will be on hand and additional infrared detectors will be installed around the park to enhance security.

Shanghai Wildlife Park is currently hosting a themed event on animals from the Americas. Four hundred animals from 20 different species will be at the park including flamingos, alpacas and sea lions. Visitors will even be able to feed some of the animals.

Continuing with the outdoor theme, Sunqiao Modern Agriculture Development Zone is hosting the Harvest Festival from late September to October 28.

The zone's greenhouses have automatic temperature-control systems and some vegetables are grown using hydroponics.

In addition to picking seasonal treats like mushrooms and pineapples there is also an orchard featuring tropical trees that makes for a nice stroll. A farmers' painting exhibition and a photography exhibition is also taking place to show how farms have developed in the city over the years.

Meanwhile, Zhoupu Flower Land has 30,000 square meters of sunflowers in bloom during the tourism festival. More than 40 different species are on show. See if you can distinguish them all. The attraction imports flowers that bloom in different seasons so there's always something to see when visiting.

Moving indoors, be on the lookout for some gastronomic treats around Pudong. The Holiday Inn in Pudong is hosting a beer festival with authentic brews and food from Germany. German singing and dancing performances will also be held. Oriental Pearl TV Tower's revolving restaurant is hosting a New Zealand Food Festival with fresh seafood, dairy products and lamb. For those with a sweet tooth, the Grand Hyatt in the Jinmao Tower offers a scrumptious afternoon tea set. Check out the observation deck on the 88th floor and then head on down to the 87th floor of the Grand Hyatt hotel for that tea set and some amazing views of the city, weather permitting of course.

Music and fireworks shows Date: September 30, October 3, 6 Venue: Century Park, 666 Fangdian Rd Admission: 70-230 yuan

Sunflower Festival Date: September 27-October 7 Venue: Zhoupu Flower Land, 406 Shenjiang Rd, Zhoupu Town Admission: 60 yuan

Harvest Festival Date: September 28–October 28 Venue: Sunqiao Modern Agriculture Development Zone, 185 Mianbei Rd Admission: 30 yuan

American Animal Festival Date: Through December 31 Venue: Shanghai Wildlife Park, 178 Nanliu Highway Admission: 130 yuan