Qingdao International Beer Festival

The Qingdao International Beer Festival originated at Zhongshan Park in 1991 and later occupied Huiquan Square and Beer City, later moved to the renamed Century Square.

In 2023, the Qingdao International Beer Festival took place on the Golden Sands beach resort area in Huangdao.

What to Expect

Vendors using the gaudiest costumes and loudest music at their disposal to attract thirsty drinkers and eaters.

Beer drinking contests in a perfect storm of ganbei culture. Drunken public karaoke on big stages with performances by dancers and singers.

The perfect place for revelers who, in the words of the late Frank Zappa, “Seek the path to the sudsy yellow nozzle of their foaming nocturnal parametric digital whole-wheat inter-faith geo-thermal terpsichorean ejectamenta”.

Previous experience suggests that drinking beer at the Qingdao Beer Fest is an experience worth writing home about.

The Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony will be televised throughout China on CCTV and broadcast live in Qingdao on QTV. The opening ceremony traditionally showcases dancers and singers capped off by a huge fireworks display. The closing ceremony follows the same typical festival pomp and circumstance, and a fireworks show.

Tips for a Better Experience at the Qingdao International Beer Festival

• Feel free to strike up innocuous friendships with perfect strangers who would like nothing more than to get drunk with you and then part ways forever. Or not.
• Go on a weekday when the crowds are smaller. Less people means shorter lines at the WC.
• Eat well to soak up all the beer, which goes very well with meat on a stick, aka chuanr, on sale along with other Chinese food all around the fest.
• Ganbei (Cheers) with the World!

Qingdao Transportation and Accommodation for the Qingdao Beer Fest

Getting to and from the Beer Fest may pose a challenge unless you stay within walking distance. The area around the fest is usually restricted for personal vehicles and some streets are completely closed off.

Taxis in Qingdao can be hard to come by during the summer tourist season, and the situation just gets 8 times worse around the Beer Fest. It’s probably best to avoid rush hours if you are trying to catch a cab in the downtown area. Downtown hotels are sometimes a good place to catch an arriving cab.

Finding a hotel in Qingdao: Accommodation includes the cheap and cheerful chains Home Inn and Jinjiang Inn to the top of the line Crowne Plaza, Shangri-la, InterContinental, Le Meridien and everything in between, either in eastern Qingdao near Beer City, downtown around May 4th Square, or somewhere in the middle i.e. near Qingdao University/Mai Dao area.

There are many hostel options in old town: Kai Yue Old Church Lounge and Old Observatory Youth Hostel, Nemo (Huangxian Lu near Strong Ale Works off Daxue Lu). A great place to stay might be near the old Tsingtao Brewery on Beer Street, Dengzhou Lu, the ancestral home of Tsingtao Beer.

Contact Info For Hotels In Qingdao:

Near Laoshan Beer Passion Square

• Sophia International
  217 Xianggang Dong Lu / 香港东路217号
  532.8897.1666
• Kylin Best Western
  197 Xianggang Dong Lu / 香港东路197号
  532.8889.1777
• Home Inn
  22 Xiang Gang Dong Lu / 香港东路22号
  532.6861.2777

Downtown CBD

• Crowne Plaza
  76 Xianggang Zhong Lu / 香港中路76号
  532.8571.8888
• Shangri-La
  9 Xianggang Zhong Lu / 香港中路9号
  532.8388.3838
• Grand Regency
  110 Xianggang Zhong Lu / 香港中路110号
  532.8588.1818
• Intercontinental
  98 Aomen Lu / 澳门路98号
  532.6656.6666
• Le Meridien
  112 Yanji Lu / 延吉路112号
  532.5556.3888
• Qingdao Hotel
  66 Xianggang Zhong Lu / 香港中路66号
  532.8578.1888

Near Beer Street in Taidong

• Home Inn
  54 Dengzhou Lu / 登州路54号
  532.8380.7700

Old Town

• Kai Yue International Youth Hostel (Old Church Lounge)
  31 Jining Lu / 济宁路31号
  532.8284.5450
• Old Observatory
  21 Guanxiang Er Lu / 观象二路
  532.8282.2626

Relevant Links:
Impressions of Qingdao Beer Festival

Photo Credits @ Steve Price, Qingdao Beer City