Qingdao International Beer Festival - Cheer with the World

Qingdao International Beer Festival was founded in 1991 to celebrate Qingdao’s hundredth anniversary. Since then, it is held on the second weekend of August every year and lasts for 16 days (sometimes longer, but usually around 30 days). It is a national large-scale festival themed in beer but integrating tourism, culture, sports, and trade. It's also the biggest beer event in Asia. Since it was held, breweries from dozens of countries, regions and domestic cities have participated in the event, attracting millions of tourists from all over the world. This joyful gala has become a grand festival to highlight the unique advantages and charm of Qingdao city.

✔ 3 Days Qingdao Beer & Seaside Tour

As an international carnival, Qingdao International Beer Festival offers you much to do. There will be many tents set up for different beer brands or for performances and shows. You just need to fully enjoy yourself, drinking beer, Ganbei (cheering) with your friends, eating food and watching shows.

Drinking Beer from All over the World

To attend Qingdao International Beer Festival, drinking beer is a must. How refreshing it would be to have a bottle of icy Tsingtao Beer in the cool sea breeze on a hot summer night! As there are many beer companies from abroad, you can not only have a taste of the local Tsingtao Beer, but also beers from the world. Take Qingdao International Beer Festival in 2020 as an example, it has provided more than 1500 types of beer from over 40 countries and regions. Apart from the local Tsingtao Beer and Augerta Beer, there are Paulaner, Benediktiner Weissbier, EKU Beer from Germany, Hofbräuhaus from Munich, Carlsberg from Denmark, Russell from Canada, Heineken from the Netherlands, Er Boqueron from Spain, etc. Just go check out different tents and enjoy the beer!

Taking Part in Various Celebrative Activities

Apart from the opening and closing ceremonies, every year during the festival, there would be various activities. You can sing along with the rhythmic music, watch amazing acrobatic performances, appreciate exotic dances, watch boxing games, attend beer competition, and take part in interesting little games. The activities vary from year to year, but what’s constant is the festive atmosphere and joy they bring to the tourists. There will be stages set up for some large scale performances or competitions such as the parkour and street dance competition in 2020. When night falls, as the city is lit up, people’s enthusiasm also reaches the highest point.

Treating Your Stomach with All Kinds of Snacks

How could drinking beer not go with snacks? When you tour around the venues, you will find many stalls selling snacks such as Chinese kebabs, crayfish, see food, meat pie, etc. So for foreign tourists, you can not only try Qingdao local food, but also have an opportunity to get a taste of home. There are also bars serving beer and various dishes where you can have a seat with your friends and enjoy.

✔ 3 Days Qingdao Highlights Tour

Location: West Coast New Zone, Qingdao 青岛西海岸新区

Golden Beach Beer City has been one of the main venues of Qingdao International Beer Festival since 2015. During the festival, you can fully enjoy the happy atmosphere and the amazing activities. At night, there will be great light show, firework show and music show. Golden Beach itself is a popular beach. This crescent shaped beach stretches 3500 meters long, 300 meters wide. Endowed with sand as fine as powder, color like gold, and appealing scenery with the blue sea, this beach is really a great place for outdoor activities like football, soccer, frisbee… or just relaxing in the sun. Tents and tables are available for rent.

Location: Century Square Beer City, Laoshan District, Qingdao 青岛市崂山区世纪广场啤酒城

Century Square Beer City in Laoshan District is another main venue of Qingdao International Beer Festival. The square covers an area of 26000 square meters and is a multi-functional area for beer, food, performing arts, interactive games, and exhibitions. During the beer festival, you are able to enjoy the best of China's beer drinking culture at this event. Just like Golden Beach, many performances will be enjoyed here as well. Besides beer, there is a ton of food, both Chinese and western, to gorge on. There is also a large indoor beer area, where you can find lots of good souvenirs to buy and great beer to drink.

Qingdao is a city with relatively complete transportation network. For independent travelers, you can travel Qingdao with most highlights by subway, taxi, or bus. As of October 2020, there are 4 metro lines that mainly cover Shinan District and Laoshan. Six other lines are under construction. The bus can almost take you to every corner of Qingdao, but it may be a little time-consuming. As Golden Beach is in the west coast and a little far from downtown, you will need about 1.5 hours by subway and bus to get there from Qingdao downtown (May Fourth Square). Century Square in Laoshan can be reached by subway and needs about 45 minutes.

Travel with China Discovery

If you want to save all the transfer troubles, you can travel with us China Discovery. We provide private transfer service for our customers who book a Qingdao tour with us. Our professional local guide and driver will escort you from your hotel, train station, airport to all attractions with comfortable private licensed car and let you catch the highlights of every site and city, so you can get really relaxed on the way and focus on what you are interested in. The tour can be tailor made according to your plan, time and interests and demands. If you are interested, please feel free to contact us and tell us your needs, and we will customize a memorable tour for you!

For tourists traveling Qingdao, it is most recommended to stay in the hotels in Qingdao downtown near May Fourth Square and along the coast line to Zhanqiao Pier. There are many choices from 5-star luxury hotels to 3-star economical ones. With shopping malls, plazas, snack streets, all kinds of restaurants around, and a short distance to the seaside, you will have a better living experience. What's more, you can get to other parts of Qingdao easily from here by subway, taxi, or bus.

>> More about Where to Stay in Qingdao

• When is the Festival Held: Usually, it starts on the second weekend of August and lasts for 16 days. But sometimes it will start as early as late July or end as late as late August. And the dates it is held in different venues vary slightly.
• Entrance Fee: According to the festival in the past years, the entrance fee is usually free or from CNY 10-20.
• Beer, Snacks & Activities: The beer and snacks may be a little pricy compared with other places during the festival. But still reasonable and the price will be marked clearly. For some activities such as the concert, extra fee will be needed.
• Travel with Kids: Kids can also enjoy the festival as there will be alcohol-free drinks and some kids-friendly facilities for children.
• Qingdao Beer Museum: If you want to have a deeper understanding of the history of Tsingtao Beer and know more about how the beer is produced, you can pay a visit to Qingdao Beer Museum, which opens all year round. Apart from the knowledge, the museum also provides some interesting beer-themed experiences to the visitors.