Updated pet city map unveiled at pet festival

Shenzhen launched an updated version of a pet urban guide at the 2026 Shenzhen Hipaw Friends Festival, which kicked off today in Futian.

The Second Shenzhen Hipaw Friends Festival kicks off in Futian today. Photos courtesy of event organzier

Dubbed the Shenzhen Pet-Friendly City Map 2.0, this upgraded digital platform will function as more than just a navigation tool. It is designed as Shenzhen’s first digital community hub dedicated to a pet-friendly living. A key feature of the 2.0 version is a new rating system for pet-friendly spaces, aimed at standardizing service quality and facilities across the city.

In addition to pinpointing pet-friendly malls, restaurants, parks, and hotels throughout Shenzhen, the digital map offers specialized itineraries. Whether residents seek rugged outdoor adventures, casual strolls through neighborhood alleys, or urban outings, the curated roaming routes provide comprehensive guidance for both locals and tourists traveling with their pets.

Visitors read profiles of rescued cats available for adoption during a Shenzhen Hipaw Friends Festival event in 2025. The display highlights adoptable animals and promotes responsible pet ownership.

Running through June 7, the festival has transformed the city into a vibrant hub for pet lovers and their companions.

Moving away from traditional, centralized event formats, this year's festival adopts a decentralized, district-wide layout across Futian. This approach integrates commercial centers, public parks, and residential communities into a comprehensive, pet-friendly network.

The festival is organized around eight core themes, ranging from pet brand exhibitions and cultural showcases to industry dialogues and public welfare initiatives.

Organizers have tailored unique identities for various locations, following the strategy of "one theme per subdistrict, one IP per commercial area, one characteristic per park, and one model per community." This strategic framework aims to transition the concept of "pet-friendliness" from a mere slogan into a tangible and sustainable urban reality.

The event follows a "6+2+4+3+1" framework, which includes six commercial demonstration zones, two experimental parks, four community models, three themed streets, and one integrated digital map.

Participants take part in a hands-on workshop during a Shenzhen Hipaw Friends Festival event in 2025. The activity brought together pet owners, volunteers and animal lovers through interactive experiences.

A highlight of the festival is the COCO Park, which serves as the primary hub for the opening ceremony, linking surrounding businesses to create a pet-friendly retail and lifestyle area. Meanwhile, the AVIC City Dreams · On mall focuses on smart and slow living, offering high-tech pet care experiences alongside pet-friendly dining and companionship.

Public spaces remain central to this year’s vision. Area C1 of the Central Park, the Qiaoxiang Pet-Friendly Pocket Park, and the Lianhua Sancun Pocket Park serve as testing grounds for human-pet coexistence and spatial innovation. Additionally, various residential communities will showcase how pet-friendly initiatives can be successfully integrated into neighborhood governance and international service standards.