Are you finding the heat unbearable? Get a refreshing take on the city this summer by suburbs taking part in the Yanjing Beer Festival being held at the Olympic Water Park in Shunyi.
Now in its 26th year, the beer festival will host a variety of activities and concerts under the auspices of beer culture.
Running until July 9, the beer festival will have no shortage of beer as Yanjing debuts a thick-bodied coffee-flavored, mellow Yanjing stout; an IPA Yanjing golden-bodied citrus-scented beer made from American hops; and a ruby-colored ale. The festival will also cater to diners by making room to accommodate some 9,000 diners.
True to its roots as a competitive rowing facility for the Olympics, visitors will get a chance to take part in dragon boat races. For RMB 50, groups of no less than six people can get together and race a 250-meter-long course.
If water sports isn’t your thing, you can relax and listen to the daily live music performance. Ten bands will perform original music in styles ranging from folk to heavy metal to punk every night at 6pm.
Coinciding with the Yanjing Beer Festival are other activities held at Olympic Water Park over the coming week.
On July 2, the park will host a motorcycle show that will feature a hundred motorcycle clubs as well as exhibitors that include brands like Harley-Davidson, Indian, and BMW.
The following week will see the Cool Run take place on July 8 and 9. In addition to the amateur running course, the Cool Run will include a foam bubble party, a water gun fight, and a big ball fight.
Here’s how the beer festival looked from past years:
This summer, enjoy your alcoholic beverages in the suburbs and head out to Shunyi!
The Yanjing Beer Festival
Location: Shunyi Olympic Water Park
Date: June 26-July 9
Time: 9am-9pm
Cost: RMB 20 admission; half-price admission for elderly, enlisted and disabled soldiers; free for disabled persons and children under 1.2 meters in height
Subway directions: Get off at Shunyi Station, 2nd last stop on Line 15; walk west from station and take either the Shun #32, Shun #5 or Shun #45 bus (顺 #32, 顺#5, 顺#45); ride the bus 9 kilometers for 12 stops until you reach the park. Conversely, there is also a special beer festival bus that runs from Shiyuan South Boulevard (石园南大街) south of Shunyi Station; last bus runs at 9.30pm, fare is RMB 2.
Driving directions: Take Jingshun Lu and turn east onto Baima Lu, about 24km from Wuyuan Qiao; follow signs and keep driving for about 4km.
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Twitter: @Sinopath