7000 BC was not only a time when people around the world first began using clay pots for storing food, cultivating cereals, herding cattle and taming cats, it was also when the Chinese first began brewing beer. Oddly enough, China is not globally known as the pioneer of beer production, nor is beer the first thing that springs to mind when most outsiders think of China. But the facts speak for themselves; beer enjoys its origins in the Middle Kingdom, where appropriately the world’s largest market for beer consumption resides. Tsingtao and Yanjing are the two biggest beer brands currently in China, but international labels have also crept into the market over the years, resulting in locally produced Carlsberg and Budweiser to name but a few. Every year, China celebrates its domestic and international beer culture by throwing major beer festivals across the country. Below, you’ll find a city by city introduction of beer festivals about to kick off this summer:

Chengdu | Dalian | Harbin | Qingdao | Tianjin | Suzhou

Chengdu Overseas Chinese Town Beer Festival:
Sobriety becomes a distant memory in Chengdu from June 11th to August 31st, when the 2010 Chengdu Beer Festival kicks off. Chengdu’s Happy Valley in the Overseas Chinese Town will turn into a carnival area, as the streets turn into elaborate sites for dance performances and large scale carnival parades. There’ll also be DJ’s, rock music, Samba, games and competitions. Moreover, the largest attraction besides the beer, is the fact that the opening of the festival coincides with the opening game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. As a result, four huge LED screens will be broadcasting live World Cup games throughout the festival. Other fun activities to look forward to include eating contests, lots of beer drinking, shopping and much more. Beer, football, fun and games…what more could you ask for?

When: June 11th-August 31st 2010
Opening Ceremony: June 11th at 19:00
Time: 19:00 – 22:00
Where: Happy Valley, Overseas Chinese Town华侨城欢乐谷
Address: 16 Xihua Dadao. Jinniu District, Chengdu
Transport: Public bus No.88, 362, 95 at Shaxixiannan station
Tickets: RMB 130/person

Dalian International Beer Festival:
Dalian’s hugely popular annual international beer festival is back for another round from July 29th to August 9th, 2010. Like previous years, the Dalian International Beer Festival takes place at the massive Xinghai Square (星海广场) near Xinghai Bay. Now in its 11th consecutive year running, the 12th China International Beer Festival as it is known, is up there on the same scale as the world famous Munich October Fest in Germany. In fact, festival organizers have teamed up with the city of Munich for a third year in a row to guarantee that the festival lives up to its international standard.

A total of 30 breweries from China and abroad will be serving over 400 types of beer during the festival. Local brands include the usual Tsingtao and Yanjing, but beer enthusiasts can also get a taste of other national brews such as Harbin, Zhujiang and Daxue beer, to name but a few. As always, the festival will be home to a an impressive line-up of live performances, parades, drinking competitions, live music, beer culture exhibitions, a beer festival photography contest and more. This year, representatives from breweries in Munich will be on site providing service and expertise, and several leading government officials and media from Germany will attend the event and broadcast the festival throughout Europe.

Known for its seafood and good weather, Dalian is a prime spot for a weekend getaway because of its location on the Bohai Sea. Notably one of China’s youngest cities with only around 100-year-old history, Dalian is unique in that it was built up as a colonial city with many Russian and Japanese inhabitants. The city is filled with beautiful plazas, fountains and buildings. There are even trolleys for visitors to ride around town, if you get lazy from walking.

With this winning combination of scenery and beer, is it any wonder that last year the festival attracted over 1.6 million visitors from home and abroad. So why not head north and see why Dalian is one of China’s most popular beer festival cities.

When: July 29th-August 9th 2010
Opening Ceremony: July 29th 19:30
Where: Xinghai Square (星海广场)
Add: East of Xinghai Park, Shahe District, Dalian 大连市沙河口区星海公园东侧
Tickets: RMB 10/person; RMB 30/person for the opening ceremony
Official website: www.12chinabeer.com (Chinese only)
Contact info: chinabeerdl@163.com, +86 8480 1661/8480 1665/8480 1656/8480 1658/8480 1659/8480 1660

Harbin Summer Beer Festival
Taking place in Harbin’s famous Ice and Snow World, this is the eighth year the Harbin International Beer Festival. Over the years, the highly popular event has delighted beer lovers all over northeast China, and many are hoping it won’t be the last. Held between July 1-12th, 18 beer companies will be represented at the festival including some American and German beers that will be served at the festival for the first time. This year’s festival is going to surpass all other previous ones, not only in terms of beers represented but in terms of the sheer size and scale of the event. Of the 16 large scale beer tents at the festival this year five of them are 2000 square metres in size or bigger. Five beer gardens are also being set up especially for the festival. For those that need a break from all the drunken mayhem, car and house showrooms, outdoor film screenings, cartoon themed parades as well as over 100 cultural performances will take place throughout the festival. The 2010 Harbin Beer Festival coincides with this year’s FIFA World Cup, which means that many of the beer tents will be screening the games live from South Africa. Other football related games and events are also planned throughout the festival.

When: July 1-12th 9:00 – 22:00
Where: Harbin Ice and Snow World 哈尔滨市冰雪大世界园区
Add: 399 Fengdou Lu, Nangang District, Harbin 南岗区奋斗路399号
How to get there: Bus No. 29, 88, 118
Tickets: RMB 10/person; RMB 30 for the Opening ceremony on July 1st
Contact info: 0451 8488 4263

Qingdao International Beer Festival:
Qingdao’s International Beer Festival has gained worldwide recognition as China’s biggest beer festival with 2 full weeks of beach, sand, and lots and lots of beer. International beer companies from all over the world flock to China’s sandy shores in Shandong Province for beer tasting and exhibitions. This event will no doubt give you insight into why every year thousands of people take part in the festivities in a Chinese tradition that’s been going strong since 1991. This summer, from August 14-29th, come join Qingdao’s locals, expats, and visitors in drinking China’s famous Tsingtao beer and “Ganbei with the World” at the 2010 Qingdao International Beer Festival!

As the biggest international beer festival in China (attracting some 3 million visitors every year), the 2010 Qingdao Beer Festival is once again teaming up with breweries from Germany and Korea, as well as other related beer enterprises. Besides plenty of beer drinking, visitors can also enjoy beer and alcohol related performances, parades and carnivals, drinking contests and exhibitions. With its German architectural influence, golden beaches, delicious fresh seafood and inescapable charm, it is little wonder that Qingdao has become “the world’s second and Asia’s number one” beer festival.

Admission:
10 RMB (09:00-15:00)
20 RMB (15:00-22:00)
580 RMB (opening ceremony)
25 RMB beer coupons

Where: Qingdao International Beer Festival
Add: 195 XiangGang East Lu, Corner of XiangGang and Haier Lu, Laoshan District, Shilaoren Beach Area, Qingdao青岛国际啤酒城, 香港中路195号,青岛 

The 10th Tianjin International Beer Festival:
The 10th Tianjin International Beer Festival will be held from July 23rd to August 1st at the Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium. The event is jointly organized by the Tianjin government and the China Business Association and involves the enhancement of beer culture, popular food and drink, a bustling night market, cultural performances, sightseeing and much more.

The festival will kick off with a fireworks display at 20:00 on July 23rd and special guests from home and abroad will be attending the opening ceremony. On the occasion, a special performance troupe will sing and dance on a specially erected performance stage which will continue to feature exciting shows throughout the festival. Besides song and dance, festival punters will also be treated to folk art, magic shows and acrobatic displays.

Also on the cards during the festival are drinking competitions, lucky draw games, exhibitions, cooking competitions, interactive sports competitions and games as well as family photography competitions. Of course, the biggest attraction – beer- will be flowing a plenty!

When: July 23-Aug 1st 2010
Where: Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium, Nankai District, Tianjin 天津市南开区天津奥林匹克体育中心
Time: 16:00-23:00 every day

The 2010 Suzhou Amusement Beer Festival:
The 2010 Suzhou Amusement Beer Festival is back from July 16th to August 1th this year. The festival lasts for ten days from 17:00-22:00 every day. Wondering what to expect? According to organizers, this year’s festival will be an extravagant affair, with fireworks displays, a carnival, lucky draws and of course lots and lots of beer and food.

Date: July 16th – August 1st 2010
Time: 17:30-22:00
Where: Happy World, Suzhou Amusement Land, 87 Jinshan Lu, Suzhou苏州市新区金山路87号苏州乐园欢乐世界
How to get there: All major buses from the main transport hubs to Suzhou Amusement Park or South Railway Station take you directly there, such as bus no. 324, 33, 38 or 91.
Cost: 30 RMB/person

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Related links

2009 Qingdao International Beer Festival
2009 Dalian International Beer Festival
The First Brewery in China

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Keywords: 2010 Chengdu international beer festival 2010 Dalian international beer festival 2010 Qingdao international beer festival China beer festival guide 2010 beer festivals China