The best things to do this weekend

Featuring the Beijing Craft Beer Festival, Pacific Rim Uprising and more

Spring has sprung and the weather forecast's looking positively balmy this weekend. Celebrate the end of your winter hibernation by sampling huge amounts of beer at this year's Beijing Invitational Craft Beer Festival, gorging on cookies at The Hutong's Cookie Monster Bake-Off, or rocking out at this week's batch of killer live gigs. Whatever you decide to do, it's sure to be a corker.

THINGS TO DO

Rumble in the JumbleModernista. Sat 24. Free

Oh, a jumble sale, that wonderful institution where you can rummage through other people's things and not feel guilty. Rumble in the Jumble is a monthly 'thriftstore-cum-craft extravaganza' where you can find all manner of odds and ends, including (but not limited to); vintage clothing, baked treats, furniture and handcrafted items.

FOOD AND DRINK

2018 Beijing Invitational Craft Beer Festival

TRB Copper. Fri 23-Sun 25. 200RMB (per person, per session); 550RMB (three sessions, one on each day); 988RMB (all sessions, plus brunch)

After the success of its previous instalments, Great Leap Brewing's Beijing Invitational Craft Beer Festival returns for a fourth year. More than 39 craft breweries from around the world have been invited to participate, bringing with them only the choicest of brews for your sampling pleasure. Ladies and Gentlemen, let there be beer.

The Hutong Cookie Monster Charity Bake-off

The Hutong. Sun 25. 150RMB; 100RMB (members of The Hutong)

If you've got yourself a sweet tooth, head down to The Hutong's Cookie Monster Charity Bake-off to sample what Beijing's best bakers have to offer. With 15 different cookies to sample, a selection of warming drinks, and a charity raffle, there's no better way to satisfy your sugar cravings during this long, cold winter. Tickets are 150RMB (100RMB for members), which includes a sample of all of the cookies and a complimentary cup of warm milk.

MUSIC

We Lost the Sea

Yugong Yishan. Fri 23. 150RMB; 120RMB (presale)

Local promoters New Noise bring Australian progressive post-rock band We Lost the Sea to Beijing. After selling out venues all over in Australia, this tour will mark We Lost the Sea's first appearance in China. Their latest album Departure Songs was included in numerous best-of lists and is inspired by failed, yet epic journeys or events throughout history where people have done extraordinary things for the greater good.

Sevdaliza

Omni Space. Sat 24. 350RMB; 300RMB (presale)

Iranian-born, Netherlands-based former basketball pro Sevdaliza's sensual, quirky pop and R'n'B sound sees her pick up comparisons to the likes of Björk, Fatima Al Qadiri, and FKA Twigs. Her debut album ISON – released just two years after she switched shooting hoops for making beats – is a remarkable blend of swirling strings, trip-hop beats, and ethereal vocals.

NIGHTLIFE

Egyptian Lover

Dada. Fri 23. 100RMB (before midnight); 130RMB (after midnight)

The veteran Los Angeles DJ, famous for both his ability on the decks and his impressive loverman bravado, returns to Beijing for a typically OG show featuring vinyl records, rapping and an 808 drum machine.

DJ Lag

Dada. Sat 24. 60RMB

Since his appearance two years ago at Dada (his first tour outside South Africa), DJ Lag has toured the world extensively, including several tours across the USA, major summer festivals in Europe, Berghain in Berlin and Boiler Room London. Taking gqom music to a new level, this one's set to be one of the hottest dance parties of the year.

STAGE

Chapterhouse Theatre Company: Jane Eyre

Nine Theater. Thu 22-Sat 24. 120-380RMB

Adapted from Charlotte Brontë's classic novel, Chapterhouse Theatre Company presents one of the greatest Gothic romances of English literature. Young governess Jane Eyre arrives at the mysterious Thornfield Hall deep in the Yorkshire moors and meets the enigmatic Mr Rochester. When a secret from the past returns to haunt them, can Jane and Rochester’s passion survive the forces that might tear them apart forever?

Tchaikovsky: music from Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker

Beijing Concert Hall. Sat 24. 100-680RMB

Iconic Russian composer Tchaikovsky is regarded as the master composer for classical ballet, as demonstrated by his scores for Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty. Join award-winning conductor Fan Tao as he leads an orchestra in performing these three sumptuous ballet scores.

ART

A Better Version of You: A Technology Fair

Goethe-Institut. Mar 24-Apr 1. Free

For the duration of nine days, Goethe-Institute at Beijing's 798 Art District will be transformed into a trade show venue, displaying an array of innovative technologies from artists and tech-developers from across the globe. A Better Version of You provides a look into the technology that serves as the foundation of contemporary societies, from self-learning machines, neural networks and ubiquitous computing, to swarm-based urban planning, personalised experiental gaming, brain-machine interfaces and precision agriculture. Harnessing perspectives from China, South Korea, Japan, USA, Russia, South Africa and Europe, A Better Version of You will showcase the latest advances in political and social technologies.

FILM

Pacific Rim Uprising

In cinemas around Beijing on Fri 23

More than 20 minutes shorter than its predecessor and set ten years later, Pacific Rim Uprising eschews complex world-building and subtle characterisations to provide rock-'em- sock-'em robotics for undiscerning sci-fi fans. John Boyega, star of The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, plays Jake Pentecost, son of the first film's heroic, deceased Stacker. Apprehended for illegally dealing Jaeger hardware, Jake is given the chance to wipe his slate clean by helping instruct new robot-pilot cadets, including fellow orphan and mechanical wiz Amara (newcomer Cailee Spaeny).

For more cracking things to do this weekend, hit 'Read more'.

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