Qingdao International Beer Festival - August 11th-26th, 2012

A festival in honor of the nectar of the gods, beer -- how great is that? Every summer, starting the second weekend of August, Qingdao hosts the largest beer festival in Asia with international breweries from all over the globe flocking to the sandy shores of China's Shandong Province. If you are a serious drinker or a casual weekend enthusiast, you'll see the best of China's beer drinking culture at this event. If karaoke is your thing, you can test your singing skills in front of huge crowds, and even buy a CD recording of your song if you so desire.

Picture huge tables filled with beer-swilling, elated Chinese and beautiful women performing on stage as the sound of Gan Bei ! (bottoms up) rings out across the numerous beer tents. With music of all kinds featured at the numerous stage venues and beers from around the globe: Beck's from Germany, Kirin & Asahi from Japan, Carlsberg from Denmark, Corona from Mexico, Heineken from Holland, Tiger from Singapore, Budweiser from the states, and of course China's Tsingtao, just to name a few, it truly is an international event that should not be missed.

As a foreigner, you'll be swamped with offers of free beers to "GanBei." I've gone to the beer festival in the past and not had to buy a single beer. The Chinese are so generous and kind, they are happy to show foreigners a good time. I've seen only a couple of fights all the times I've been there, and that's pretty amazing considering the amount of drinking that's going on. How good is the Qingdao Beer Festival? I'm living in Southern China right now, and I'm taking a special trip up to Qingdao to make sure I'm there for the fourth year in a row. Take it from a professional drinker, you'll have a good time!

The event lasts for two weeks and begins with a grand opening ceremony, followed by beer tasting, evening entertainment, drinking competitions, and concluded with a themed final ceremony. Besides beer there's tons of food, both Chinese and Western, to gorge on when you get the munchies. And don’t forget beautiful Shilaoren beach is just a 10 minute walk away!

Qingdao International Beer Festival Events:
* 2012 Theme: "TBA"
* Grand Opening Ceremony & Concert @ TianTai Stadium: (10th August 2012)
   Admission: TBA
   Telephone: +86 (532) 5557-9181; 5557-9085
* Daily Schedule of Events @ Qingdao International Beer City: (9:00am-10:00pm, 11th-26th August 2012)
* Qingdao GanBei with the World! (青岛和世界干杯): (25th August 2012)
* Closing Ceremony: (26th August 2012)

Beer City Hours: 09:00 - 22:00
* 10 RMB (09:00 - 15:00)
* 20 RMB (15:00 - 22:00)
For more information call +86 (532) 8889-2376

Hotels Within Walking Distance of Beer City:
* Kilin Crown Hotel (Best Western)
* Sophia International Hotel
* SPR Hotel
* Blue Horizon Hotel

Other Places of Interest:
* HuiQuan Square
* Qingdao Beer Street
* Tsingtao Brewery Museum