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Q: Are Chinese beer festivals any fun? Worth going to?
The upcoming Qingdao beer festival has piqued my interest but not sure if it's worth going to, if it means buying a long-distance train ticket, paying for accommodation in Qingdao and potentially taking a day or 2 off work. Has anyone been to this festival or any other big beer festival in China?
10 years 39 weeks ago in Arts & Entertainment - China
I think they are initially but soon lose their appeal. There sure is plenty to eat, drink and do but the you could ask yourself the question "Could I have done all of these things around the city cheaper and without having to queue up for ages just to get a beer or relieve myself?". If you are the kind of person into the commerciality of such events, I am sure that they will not let you down.
If you don't mind sitting in an over-crowded tent with questionable fire safety, with a bunch of people who can't handle their drink and are insanely loud and annoying, then by all means go.
happywanderer:
Datz a good comment! Although honestly I've never noticed problems with the fire safety. And I fear that may be an indication you didn't sample enough fine brews 
.
Not my thing. I recommend Qingdao though, as their beer street constantly feels like an ongoing beer festival and is worth it just for that.
Red_Fox:
Beer Street in QD is fun. So is the Tsingtao beer museum. But... the beer festival is out of control: way too expensive, dubious food, the queuing, overcrowded, etc. A few years back, there was a huge brawl at the festival involving scores of drunken Chinese nationals (local & non-local). A crazy scene. I live in QD and stay away from the event. So yeah. Beer Street, as you point out.
I went to the Qingdao festival last year, we were a mixed Sino-Western group both male and female and we had a BLAST!
Of course, we went as a group of friends, so that may have had something to do with the fun. I dont think I would have had quite as much fun going by myself.
But for many, that may not be their cup of tea, er, I mean, mug of beer....
I just went to the Songjiang Qingdao beer festival that was advertised on here last weekend.
Wish I had some good things to say about it as I went with an unusually - for me at least - open-mind, but sadly I don't. Here is a rundown:
- Address on website is wrong.
- Beer festival was due to start at 5, but didn't start until 6:30.
- There was no beer! Repeat, no beer until 6:30!!!
- The beer was warm and flat.
- The beer was served in plastic mugs which had not been rinsed correctly. All the beer had a washing detergent taste, ruining everything.
- Food wasn't much variety, just sticks of questionable meat and noodles in varying forms.
- No entertainment or contests as advertised (this may actually be a good thing).
- Just to make the point again, no beer until well after opening time!!!
This was a Tsingtao organised event which now, in my mind at least, reflects very poorly on their brand as a whole. I once was curious to check out the beer festival in Qingdao itself. But if this is how they do things, then I won't even bother and will just go to Germany or Belgium and do it properly.
Or maybe I'd be better off hanging out Burger Kings and cheap hostels with retarded oxygen thieves like Victoria1987.
I can't imagine that a Chinese beer festival has good sausage and sour kraut.
