Every summer Qingdao hosts the Beer Festival. As someone who has attended three of them, I can honestly tell you it's a damn good time. If you are a serious drinker or a casual weekend enthusiast, you'll see the best of China's beer drinking culture at the event.

As a foreigner, you'll be swamped with offers of free beers to "ganbai." 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. This is a chance to see the Chinese at their best. 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. If you put that many Canadians or Americans together, there would be some trouble. 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.

There's a large variety of beer to sample, from all over Asia and Europe, as well as our well known North American brands.

The many performances are sometimes hilarious, such as the beer drinking competition. Who can chug a bottle of Qingdao beer the fastest? You'd be surprised that often times it's the ladies who excel at this admirable skill.

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!

Locations:
Beer City : Main Site (LaoShan District)
HuiQuan Square: Olympic Time Square (ShiBei District)
Other Sites: DengZhou Lu (Beer Street), JUSCO pedestrian mall, TaiDong pedestrian mall, & Yinhai International Yacht Club

Beer City Events
The festival begins with the opening ceremony, followed by 16 days of beer tasting, evening entertainment and drinking competitions, concluding with the final ceremony.

Opening Ceremony :: Aug. 9th
Daily Schedule of Events :: TBA

Qingdao GANBEI with the World :: Aug. 23th
Carnival of Gluttony - Closing Ceremony :: Aug. 24th

General Admission: 10 - 20 RMB
10 RMB (09:00 - 15:00)
20 RMB (15:00 - 22:00)
Hours: 10:00 - 22:00

Client's information:

Mr.Colton Dirks 2008-4-8 16:35

In Qingdao, there's really no need for getting expensive private taxis from the airport into town. There is a very good and reliable airport shuttle bus service that leaves every 15 minutes for only RMB 15 (as of Oct 2007).

You will find the ticket booth for the buses as soon as you exit the airport building - can't miss it! Destinations are written in English and Chinese. There's two routes, but most people will want the one going into town, ending at the Haitian Hotel. From there you can easily catch a taxi on the street to your final destination.

The other alternative is the regular taxi service. Ignore the people who approach you inside the airport (mutter 'bu yao' and walk with purpose to the nearest exit door). Go outside and you'll see the taxi rank - they are metered taxi's. However, you will need your destination written down in Chinese as the taxi drivers generally only speak Mandarin.

Taxis into the city centre will cost you around RMB 80-100, with another RMB 15 for the expressway if used. There are no surcharges for the airport or for luggage. There are 2 types of taxi. The meter starting price is often displayed on the rear passenger window: RMB 7 or RMB 10 (the latter generally being a nicer, more comfortable taxi).

Finally, always get a receipt (fa piao) as it lists the taxi licence number if you should have any cause for complaint or leave something behind.

Client's information:

Ms.Grace Tenny , Australia , 2007-10-15 17:19