Qingdao International Beer Festival
Qingdao is a romantic city with an advantageous geographical position and a long history in beer-production. It is said that the city has a heroic spirit, stemming from a combination of the surrounding sea, its people and its beer.
In recent years the Qingdao International Beer Festival has become a major event in the calendar of this beautiful city. The first Beer Festival took place back in 1991. It is now held once a year on the second weekend of August, and lasts for 16 days.
Qingdao is the largest beer production base in China and the Beer Festival provides a great opportunity to show-off the city's unique characteristics. With a 16-year history, the Qingdao International Beer Festival is now a nationally recognized event, and successfully combines together aspects of tourism, culture and sport, while also playing a valuable role in promoting the economic interests of Qingdao city.
As one of the most important festivals of China, Qingdao has a worldwide reputation and attracts millions of people to take part every year. In April of 2006 the Qingdao International Beer Festival was praised as the No.1 on the board of 'Top Ten Festivals in China' in the Exhibition and Conference Annual Meeting of China. Qingdao International Beer Town (No.195, Hong Kong East Road) is the Beer Festival's primary location. It is here that many of the festival's performances take place. The area also contains a number of shops and restaurants, catering for a variety of tastes.
In 2006 two other venues - the Huiquan Plaza and Dengzhoulu Beer Street - were added in an attempt to bring the celebrations to a wider audience. The festival begins with the opening ceremony, followed by 16 days of beer tasting, evening entertainment and drinking competitions, concluding with the final ceremony.
The slogan for the Qingdao International Beer Festival reads: "Qingdao-Ganbei (cheers!) with the World!", indicating the scale of the event. While the 195-year old Munich Oktoberfest primarily focuses on local breweries, the Qingdao International Beer Festival is open to both Chinese and foreign groups. More than 100 beer brands from all over the world have successfully participated at the event over the past 16 years.
Every year daily performances are given at the Beer Town's Center Theatre, where colorful fountains, hi-tech laser shows and dramatic audio effects wow audiences. However, performances are not strictly limited to the Beer Town, with 200 such events taking place across the city. Whether walking on the roads, shopping in the local stores or even when catching a ride in a taxi, you will constantly hear people talking about the festival. It is obvious to see that after 16 years of development, the Beer Festival has become part of the Qingdao people's daily lives. We recommend that you sample the buzz on its streets for yourself.
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