Musical performances, carnivals, water parks and of course suds set to soak the city next month

The 25th Qingdao International Beer Festival will return to Century Square in Laoshan district from Aug 15 to 30 radiating with music, passion and millions of visitors buzzing and chugging.

Comprised of four separate venues - the Tsingtao Beer Square, the World Beer Brands Square, the Beer Leisure Square and Carnival Park - the festival will have a greater variety of pavilion themes, kitchen setups, decor, services and show performances, said Feng Wenqing, chairman of the Qingdao branch of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

In addition to the traditional beer drinking competition, it will also host an auto exhibition and a number of classical performances at the adjacent Qingdao Grand Theater, Feng said.

The organizers of the festival said they are working with a greater number of private and foreign companies in event planning, marketing, food and beverage supply and in providing entertainment modules.

To ensure safety on roads and walkways, venue organizers will implement a smart traffic control system that updates information on the flow of visitors in the park.

The Laoshan district government also expanded a parking lot for the festival and will work with traffic police to ensure that the festival goes smoothly during peak times.

This year's beer festival mascot, "Little Beer Elf", is inspired by spiritual stories about happy elves who lived on sacred Laoshan Mountain in Qingdao.

West Coast party

If visitors cannot wait for half a month for the festival to start, the Qingdao West Coast Beer Festival will take place from Aug 8 to 23 at Beer Square in Golden Beach across Jiaozhou Bay.

"As a rising new urban center of Qingdao, the Qingdao West Coast is geared toward rejoicing with the world," said Wang Benjian, director of the management committee for the Qingdao West Coast International Tourist Resort.

The State Council approved the launch of the Qingdao West Coast New Area in June 2014, making it the ninth State-level economic development zone in China.

With three sides facing the Yellow Sea, Beer Square was built with environmentally friendly materials and will host a fireworks and lights show, a parade, a 4-D magical art gallery, carnival games and a variety of performances and concerts.

Spread across 66.67 hectares, the square also has a campsite and a large parking lot.

Guinness World Records will also participate in the festival to witness an event in which over 10,000 people will drink beer simultaneously in the hopes of breaking the world record, Wang said at a news conference.

The festival has lined up a variety of foreign beer brands and performance artists from Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.

The carnival and a water park will continue to operate after the festival, organizers said.

Winners of the lengthily named Barley Aroma Music Festival-Qingdao International Beer Festival West Coast Session Music Competition, which took place in 17 cities across Shandong province, will perform at Beer Square during the festival.

The Royal International Circus will perform at the festival and showcase horsemanship, tightrope walking, Russian folk dance, trapeze acts, animal performances and a clown show.

Both of the beer festivals will provide free Wi-Fi connections.

huqing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/30/2015 page10)