The best things to do in Beijing this weekend

Featuring Tiësto, Ready Player One and football

We may be in the middle of a bit of an Airpocalypse, but frankly, that's no excuse for staying in. We're Beijing ren, and no sandstorm is going to get between us and a good time. Make the most of the next couple days with the best things to do, films and parties going down in the capital this weekend.

THINGS TO DO

Beijing Guoan vs Beijing Renhe

Workers' Stadium. Sat 31. 150-390RMB

Don't be confused by their names, Beijing Guoan is the capital's OG football team. In fact, up until 2016, Beijing Renhe was known as Guizhou Renhe, and before that, Shaanxi Renhe (and even before that, Shanghai International). With Beijing Guoan and Beijing Renhe currently ranked fifth and ninth in the Super League standings respectively, Saturday's match should be an absolute belter.

BlackExpo

27 Yard. Sat 31. Free

More than just a market, BlackExpo is an interactive cultural experience that places the spotlight on services, businesses and talented individuals within the black community. Open to the entire Beijing community, BlackExpo is a unique opportunity to further shape the black narrative here in China and the world at large while also discovering your new favourite food, accessory, or skincare product. With live performances and interactive sessions, there's sure to be something for everyone.

Midnight in Peking tour with author Paul French

Unspecified venue. Sun 1. 1,288RMB

As part of the Bookworm International Literary Festival, Bespoke Beijing and Penguin Books are hosting a special edition of their excellent Midnight In Peking Walking Tour, led by author Paul French himself. After the tour, guests will also sit down to a four-course meal and wine pairing at Jaan inside the historic NUO Hotel on Chang'an Avenue.

FOOD AND DRINK

A Night at the Taste Museum

Arcade by Hatchery. Fri 30. 268RMB; 238RMB (presale)

Kicking off at 7:30pm this Friday, Arcade by Hatchery will be transformed into a museum full of food and wine from all over the world, including ten different wines from Let's Drink, an exclusive station of Peruvian and Chinese canapés from Hatchery, as well as a DIY station where you can create your own canapés using a selection of Hatchery’s Middle Eastern-inspired dips and toppings.

Up close and personal with Michelin star chef Mauro Colagreco

Azur by Mauro Colagreco. Fri 30-Sun 1. 1,088RMB (per person); 1,988RMB (includes wine pairing). Prices are subject to a 10 percent service fee

Michelin star chef Mauro Colagreco serves up an exclusive morel mushroom set menu this weekend, with highlights such as eel broth jelly with herbs and spring vegetables, morel tarte with a pure malt whisky and vanilla sabayon, wagyu beef fillet with duck foie gras and morels, a mint opera cake and more. Contact Azur at 6841 2211 ext. 6727 for more information or to make a booking.

MUSIC

Terumasa Hino Quintet

Blue Note. Fri 30-Sat 31. 420RMB

One of the most acclaimed Japanese jazz musicians of his generation, trumpeter Terumasa Hino is a dynamic performer, known for his huge, powerful tone, and expressive post-bop style. Emerging in the '60s as a forward-thinking improviser, Hino has drawn well-earned comparisons to such contemporaries as Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw.

Sofar Sounds

Unspecified venue. Sat 31. Free

Sofar Sounds is a global, grassroots network of artists, hosts, and guests, all with the goal of helping to bring the magic back to live music. They curate secret, intimate gigs in unique spaces, from living rooms and churches to hoodie shops and fancy furniture showrooms. To apply for tickets, scan the QR code below. 

NIGHTLIFE

Tiësto

One Third. Sat 31. 380RMB; 300RMB (presale)

Widely regarded as the 'Godfather of EDM', Grammy Award-winning Dutch DJ and producer Tiësto has been voted 'the best DJ of the last 20 years' by DJ Mag readers and also named 'the Greatest DJ of All Time' by MixMag. 

Pär Grindvik

Lantern. Sat 31. 80RMB

A central figure in the Swedish electronic scene since the '90s as a record store owner, label manager and producer, Pär has released music across a plethora of acclaimed electronic labels, including a string of hits on his own Stockholm LTD imprint as well as Drumcode with frequent collaborator Hardcell.

STAGE

NT Live: Skylight

UCCA. Sat 31. 120RMB; 200RMB (ticket package)

On a bitterly cold London evening, schoolteacher Kyra Hollis receives an unexpected visit from her former lover, Tom Sergeant, a successful and charismatic restaurateur whose wife has recently died. As the evening progresses, the two attempt to rekindle their once passionate relationship only to find themselves locked in a dangerous battle of will and desire. 

A screening of the 2015 production captured live in London's West End, Carey Mulligan and Bill Nighy star in the Tony Award-winning play.

NT Live: Yerma

UCCA. Sat 31. 120RMB; 200RMB (ticket package)

Yerma, a well-respected female journalist, and John, a successful businessman, seem like a typical, middle class London couple. Their world consists of a luxurious house, expensive champagne, and parties, until Yerma’s longing for a child disrupts the balance. After countless failed attempts to conceive, their marital life begins to fall apart – a situation made worse by her mother and sisters, who have no problem getting pregnant. After a sharp turn of events, making a desperate move seems to be the only choice. Stars Billie Piper.

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

Ready Player One

In cinemas around Beijing on Fri 30

Directed by Steven Spielberg, CGI-heavy fantasia Ready Player One follows orphaned teenager Wade Watts as he attempts to find Easter eggs left behind by the deceased founder of Oasis, a virtual reality entity. 

The Commuter

In cinemas around Beijing on Fri 30

After years of wage-slave routine as a Wall Street number cruncher, ex-NYPD officer Michael McCauley gets his redundancy package at a moment which spells financial disaster. Still, unlikely salvation may prevail on the Metro-North line's return commute, where a slinky, no-good Vera Farmiga offers him a unique proposal. All he has to do is help her identify an out-of-place passenger among the 6pm regulars and there's a pile of cash waiting for him. Tempting? You bet. Potentially fatal? That too.

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

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