17 of the best things to do in Beijing this weekend

Your weekend guide to the best of Beijing

While the weather is cooling, the events right here in Beijing are heating up. If you're into film, this weekend is definitely for you – there's a whole raft of Hollywood blockbusters as well as one-off screenings galore.

Sean Patton

The Bookworm. Sun 21. 180RMB; 150RMB (presale). 

Sean Patton's got a rather impressive rap sheet: Just for Laughs in Chicago, Toronto and Montreal, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Edinburgh Fringe and numerous TV appearances, just to name a few. The New Orleans-born comedian goes for storytelling with an edge, bringing his acerbic wit to everyday life circumstances.

The Last Stuffing: Farewell Party 

Arrow Factory Taproom. Sat 20. Free. 

With cold beer, warm hearts and a big teardrop, Arrow Factory Taproom and next-door neighbour Stuff'd are closing their doors for good this weekend, so head out for a final day of revelry at the Jianchang Hutong spot on Saturday. With 10RMB off all beers and cider, and 50RMB sausage meals, all day long, help them say goodbye in style. And while it's a sad farewell to a good old spot, Arrow and Stuff'd are still going strong at Arrow Factory Liangmahe.

Grand Opening: Boxing Cat

Boxing Cat Brewery. Sat 20. Free. 

Boxing Cat Brewery Beijing is now apparently officially up and running and therefore cordially invites all of you out there to enjoy their new space this weekend. Featuring an expanded menu, exclusive craft beer lineup, a DJ and photo booth, they'll do their best to keep you entertained all evening, especially as the invitation comes with rivers of free-flowing beer, snacks and the coolest cats* in town. 

*Not actual cats, unfortunately.  

Brew Brunch: Mosto x Great Leap

Mosto. Sat 20. 248RMB. 

Mosto and Great Leap Brewing are teaming up to create the ultimate boozy Brew Brunch this Saturday at Nali Patio. For 248RMB a person, you will enjoy a welcome beer before tucking into a three-course brunch, with each dish expertly paired with a Great Leap brew and bottomless pours. Think Colombian flavours, fried green banana, crunchy pork belly with house-made BBQ beer sauce and decadent apple pie with cinnamon crème anglaise. 

21st Wine and Food Experience

Hilton Beijing. Sat 20. 168RMB. 

The annual Wine and Food Experience is a one-day event where attendees can talk to vendors and try food and wine from domestic and international suppliers. There will be over 400 wine labels to try, with wine varieties including merlot, cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and chardonnay, plus unique ice wines and Tokaji. For the foodies, come prepared for chocolate, cheese, dumplings, beef and more. While you can attend just for the food and the wine, you can also get a buffet lunch or dinner deal at the Makan Kitchen.

Angerfist

One Third. Fri 19. 120RMB. 

Danny Masseling, aka Angerfist, is a Dutch DJ and producer well known for his hardcore techno stylings. Currently at number 40 on DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs List, he's the highest-ranking hardcore DJ in the world, with top hits such as 'Knock Knock' and 'The Deadfaced Dimension'.

Wednesday Campanella

Tango. Fri 19. 360RMB; 300RMB (presale). Wednesday Campanella is a Japanese music group that combines EDM, J-Pop, and hip-hop. The trio consists of KOM_I, Kenmochi Hidefumi and Dir.F, and have garnered a huge following in Japan and now worldwide, since featuring on Chvrches' single 'Out Of My Head'.

Bake

Zhao Dai. Fri 19. Tickets tbc.

Glasgow-based Bake brings a unique sound to the decks. Commanding a broad spectrum of music, he takes new, old, unknown and known music to the crowd, to create a brand that's seen Resident Advisor describe him as 'one of the UK's most eclectic and vibrant DJs'.

Slushii

Sir Teen. Sat 20. 150RMB. Slushii, aka Julian Scanlan, is an LA-based producer, DJ, vocalist and giant slushie, with music that's light, fun and happy. Future bass and progressive house vibes from this distinct dance maker.

The Fratellis

Tango. Sun 21. 580RMB; 480RMB (presale). 

'Der der der, der der der, der der der di-er der der, der der der, der der der, der der der di-er. Der der der, der der der, der der der di-er der der, der der der, der der der, der der der di-er der der.'

Rent

Century Theatre. Tue 16-Sun 21. 80-880RMB.

A re-imagining of Puccini's La Bohème, Rent follows a year in the lives of seven impoverished artists struggling to survive in the thriving days of New York City's Alphabet City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. This Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning masterpiece returns to the stage in a vibrant twentieth anniversary touring production. 

Liang Shaoji

M Woods. Until Nov 11. 80RMB. 

For nearly 30 years, contemporary artist Liang Shaoji has lived an almost monastic existence in remote Mount Tiantai, central Zhejiang province. It is from here that he collaborates with his muse and medium, the silkworm, to create spellbinding and transcendent works. His painstaking oeuvre involves carefully manipulating the silkworm to spin its threads – the physical markers of its very existence – over a range of media. These works, which range from sculpture and installation to film and photography, are ontological commentaries, quietly detailing the relationships between science and spirituality, humans and nature, endurance and fate, pleasure and pain, life and death.

The Spy Who Dumped Me

Trailer via QQ

In Cinemas around Beijing from Fri 19. 

Two best friends get entangled in shoot-outs, car chases and an international conspiracy when one of them is dumped by her spy boyfriend. See Kate McKinnon and Mila Kunis star in this raucous new comedy. 

Smallfoot

Trailer via QQ

In cinemas around Beijing from Fri 19.

Smallfoot follows the animated film trend of zany, family-friendly gags, colourful characters and catchy songs playing out a story with contemporary and politically relevant themes. The cast is too good to pass up: Channing Tatum, James Corden, Zendaya, Common, LeBron James, Danny Devito and Justin Roiland of Rick and Morty and Adventure Time fame.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Image: DreamWorks Pictures

China Film Archives. Fri 19. 

This 2006 psychological thriller tells the story of Jean-Baptitse Grenouille (Ben Winshaw), a young man in eighteenth-century France that will go to great, and deadly, lengths to find the perfect scent. Directed by Tom Tykwer, the film also stars Alan Rickman, Dustin Hoffman and Rachel Hurd-Wood. 

The Last Pig

Image: Argo Films

Camera Stylo. Sat 20. 35RMB. 
The Last Pig is a lyrical meditation on what it means to be a sentient creature with the power to kill. Deeply immersive, the film follows a pig farmer through his final year of raising pigs. Through sparse, intimate musings, the farmer reveals the growing conflict of a life spent 'peddling in death'. Through this personal journey, The Last Pig raises crucial questions about equality, the value of compassion and the sanctity of life. 

The Party

Image: Picturehouse Entertainment

China Film Archives. Sat 20. 

Any party thrown by Kristin Scott Thomas is bound to be worth attending – and with guests including Timothy Spall, Patricia Clarkson and Cillian Murphy, this is one star-studded screen soirée. The Party uses a single setting to claustrophobic, dramatic advantage. The dialogue is bitterly funny, even while dealing with the darkest of subject matters, touching on politics, family, fidelity and sexuality while maintaining a breezy, comic tone. And amid the middle-class intellectual squabbling, there’s a palpable sense of tension and danger. It’s openly theatrical, but if it feels like a film of a play, it’s a play you really should see.

For more great things to do in Beijing this week, hit 'Read more'.

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