The best things to do this weekend

Featuring James Blunt, Brennan Heart and Indie Coffee Festival

Today marks Qingming Jie, or Tomb-Sweeping Festival, meaning that most of us will soon be enjoying a long weekend. Check out our guide to Beijing's best day trips to make the most of your extra day off, but for those of you who prefer to stay in the city, there's still plenty to see and do, public holiday be damned.

FOOD AND DRINK

Indie Coffee Festival

Langyuan Vintage. Fri 6-Sat 7. 100RMB; 60RMB (presale)

Beijing's first-ever Indie Coffee Festival kicks off this Friday and is set to feature top-notch coffee vendors from around the globe, such as Melbourne's St Ali and Liverpool's Root, along with local favourites Soloist, Voyage and more. To purchase presale tickets, contact Soloist through their WeChat account (soloistcoffee).

MUSIC

James Blunt

Cadillac Arena (formerly Beijing LeSports Center). Fri 6. 280-1,280RMB

Best known for mega hits 'You're Beautiful' and 'Goodbye My Lover', English singer-songwriter James Blunt returns to Beijing as part of his two-week Asia tour. Expect new music from his latest album The Afterlove and presumably, 'You're Beautiful'.

Miyavi

M Space. Sat 7. 480-880RMB

Flamboyant Japanese musician and 'samurai guitarist' Miyavi (Takamasa Ishihara to his mum) blends jazzy, experimental guitar licks with pop, beatboxing and gothier rock elements.

Arch Enemy

Tango. Sun 8. 680RMB; 550RMB (presale); 1,080RMB (VIP)

Swedish melodic death metal veterans Arch Enemy – whose members hail from such influential acts as Carcass, Armageddon and Carnage – bring their rip-roarin' sound back to Beijing this Sunday.

NIGHTLIFE

Brennan Heart

One Third. Fri 6. 200RMB; 100RMB (presale)

With tracks such as 'Imaginary' and 'Lose My Mind', Brennan Heart (real name Fabian Bohn) is one of hardstyle's leading artists. His 2016 album, I Am Hardstyle, quickly became the genre's best-selling album of all time and is characterised by his distinctive brand of harmonious melodies, catchy vocals and sleek production.

Zombies in Miami

Dada. Sat 7. 80RMB

A project created by Mexican producers Canibal and Jenouise, Zombies in Miami's music is a hybrid of techno and rock influences, earning the approval of artists such as Michael Mayer, Pachanga Boys, Matias Aguayo and more.

STAGE

NT Live: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

UCCA. Sat 7. 120RMB; 200RMB (ticket package)

In the early hours of the morning on the campus of an American college, Martha, much to her husband George’s displeasure, has invited the new professor and his wife to their home for some afterparty drinks. As the alcohol flows and dawn approaches, the young couple is drawn into George and Martha's toxic games until the evening reaches its climax in a moment of devastating truth-telling.

A screening of the 2017 production captured live in London's West End, Imelda Staunton stars.

NT Live: Obsession

UCCA. Sat 7. 120RMB; 200RMB (ticket package)

Young and beautiful, but poverty-stricken, Giovanna is forced to marry Giuseppi, a vulgar restaurant owner, who subjects her to daily humiliation. One day, Gino, a young, handsome tramp, stops by the small roadside restaurant. Irresistibly drawn to each other, the two plan to murder her husband. But in this chilling tale of passion and destruction, the crime only serves to tear them apart. Stars Jude Law and Halina Reijn.

Brodas Bros: BR2

Beijing Theatre. Sat 7. 100-380RMB

International hip-hop and urban dance company Brodas Bros was established in Barcelona back in 2006 and is described as 'a flow of energy, art, humour and imagination' by El Periódico. Check out this entertaining spectacle of light, dance and music at Beijing Theatre this Saturday.

ART

Un rêve francais: an exhibition of 19th-century French art

National Museum of China. Until May 6. 50RMB; 20RMB (students)

This stunning exhibition features more than 100 paintings on loan from Paris' Centre national des arts plastiques and Ecole nationale supérieure des beaux-arts. Artwork, stemming from the French Revolution all the way to World War I, includes paintings by Dominique Ingle, William Adolphe Bouguereau, Pascal D'Abou-Bouilleux and more.

FILM

Ready Player One

On general release until Apr 27

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

On general release until Apr 27

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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