SHANGHAI: Shanghai police patrolled downtown streets over the weekend to crack down on Halloween celebrations in China’s most international city.

Local authorities appeared to be trying to prevent a repeat of last year, when Halloween revelers flocked to central Shanghai, some dressed in costumes mocking the Chinese stock market, youth unemployment and strict COVID-19 policies.

This weekend, a police presence, online posts about a crackdown and steady rain kept the celebration to a minimum.

At least half a dozen costumed people who turned out in Shanghai’s Zhongshan Park on Friday (October 25) evening were seen by Reuters witnesses being led away by police.

There was no official citywide notice banning Halloween, though local district officials sent notices to businesses ahead of the weekend, encouraging family-friendly celebrations and discouraging activities where adults will wear costumes.

A bar and restaurant owner in the Jing An nightlife district was asked to sign an agreement issued by the district’s local authorities pledging not to hold activities such as costume contests “in order to maintain good social order and public image “, he said on Friday. Reuters reviewed a copy of the order signed by the owner.

Jing An District Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

A reveler dressed up as a skeleton on Friday night in Jing An district until he was detained by police and escorted to an administrative building and asked to remove his make-up, he said. He declined to be identified for privacy reasons.

By Saturday, news of Shanghai’s Halloween crackdown was a trending topic on Chinese social media sites, including Weibo.

“Even in relatively open Shanghai, the scale of freedom is steadily shrinking,” one user posted.

Officially sanctioned Halloween celebrations at Shanghai Disney Resort and Happy Valley Amusement Park went ahead as scheduled.