17 of the best things to do in Beijing this weekend

Your weekend guide to the best of Beijing

Welcome to November! Spend the weekend celebrating the penultimate month of 2018 with these fantastic music, nightlife, film and drinking events. See a great stage show like Chicago, catch a new film at the cinema, partake in a boozy run and/or see a great band or DJ perform live, such as Blossoms on Friday or R3hab on Saturday. We've got something for every taste this weekend, so read on to find that thing for you. 

Maovember

Various locations. From Nov 1.

Honour the health of those men you love and the charities helped this year by attending Maovember events throughout November. Thursday 1 sees the launch party at XL bar commence the fun, with a dog pub crawl starting at De Refter on Saturday 3 and a mulled cider party at the Green House on Sunday 4 also rounding out this weekend's mao-offerings. For more details on all Maovember events this year, click here. 

Jing A Halloween Beer Mile

Jing A Brewpub. Sun 4. 100RMB. 

Jing A's booze-soaked Halloween Beer Mile returns this year at Jing A Brewpub Xingfucun. Registration guarantees you a spot in the race, four beers and a bunch of other goodies. The rules are simple: runners will run four quarter-mile laps, starting and finishing at Jing A. At the beginning of each lap, they'll be given a full cup of beer to help fuel them – finish the beer first and then continue running. There will also be a men's and women's podium with prizes and glory for the first three runners to finish from each group. Costumes are mandatory, register by scanning the QR code below.

Nutty brunch at Feast

Feast (Food by East). Sun 4. 298RMB. 

Feast has teamed up with the ladies behind Beijing-based all-natural nut butter experts Naked Nut Butters for a special weekend brunch. Feast is all about ‘simple food done well’ and Naked follows the same principles when it comes to their nut butters – quite the match. Join them for a brunch that includes selected free-flow drinks for 298RMB.

Fort Romeau

Zhao Dai. Fri 2. Tickets tbc. 

Michael Greene, aka Fort Romeau, is an electronic music producer and DJ from the United Kingdom. His 2015 LP Insides was inspired by an eclectic mixture of house, ambient and techno, and showed a further development of his unique take on dance floor music. The past few years have seen him play all over the world, from Mexico to Tokyo and regularly at some of Europe’s most revered club spaces.

Blossoms

Omni Space. Fri 2. 280RMB; 220RMB (presale). 

Since forming in 2013, British indie-poppers Blossoms have bloomed into success, with synthy sounds and some hip AF retro-revival garms. Their 2016 self-titled debut release was shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize 2017, and they followed it up with the spacey Cool Like You earlier this year.

Grito

School Live Bar. Fri 2. 80RMB.

Mexico's Grito have been blaring out their hardcore punk sounds for over 20 years, taking their high-energy sets all over, from the US and Central America to Europe, sharing stages with some of the genre's biggest and best, including Agnostic Front, Terror, Madball and Misfits. It's their first time in Asia though – expect School Bar to give them a suitably rowdy Beijing welcome. Check out what they had to say about their China debut here.

One Third's First Anniversary

One Third. Fri 2-Sat 3. 180-280RMB.

Help One Third celebrate their first birthday this weekend with a line-up of DJ superstars. The boys from Armada hit the decks on Friday night, with One Third favourite and special guest R3hab spinning on Saturday night.

Honey Soundsystem

Dada. Sat 3. 100RMB; 80RMB (before 11pm).

Described by Vice's former electronic music outlet Thump as ‘both tastemakers and unofficial historians of the queer dance culture movement’, expect decadent, free-loving vibes from the multi-talented collective.

Fleurie

Tango. Sat 3. 280-580RMB. 

Fleurie, the American indie pop singer Lauren Strahm, released her first EP Fear & Fable back in 2013 and her unique voice and raw emotional expression turned heads. After launching two critically acclaimed singles in 2017, Fleurie's new album, Portals, hit the airwaves in 2018. Expect soft vocals and dramatic, deep beats.

The Word Alive

Omni Space. Sun 4. 200RMB; 160RMB (presale).

The Word Alive heads to Beijing this November with new album Violent Noise. The metalcore band from Phoenix, Arizona is on their fifth album, having earnt places in Top Heatseekers, Billboard 200 and Independent Album lists.

Chicago

Tianqiao Performing Arts Centre. Until Sun 18. 100-1,080RMB

Sassy musical Chicago is set in the 1920s, Prohibition-era Windy City, telling the story of rival vaudevillian murderesses Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart and their battle to avoid death row while simultaneously striving for the fame they oh so desire. It's finally here in Beijing, so get your tickets while you still can. 

Now You See Me

Beijing Workers' Gymnasium. Fri 2-Sat 3. 280-880RMB.

From the producers of the hit movies, the live stage show premieres in Beijing this weekend. Now You See Me comes to Beijing with cutting-edge technology, surprise twists and never-before-seen illusions. Enjoy a magic and stage show from some of the world's best magicians.

GöteborgsOperans Danskompani

NCPA. Sat 3-Sun 4. 100-580RMB. 

GöteborgsOperans Danskompani is one of the leading contemporary dance companies in Europe, focusing on original works that play with new expressions and form. They perform two pieces in Beijing: Noetic and Untitled Black.

The House with a Clock in its Walls

In cinemas around Beijing from Fri 2.

This magical adventure tells the spine-tingling tale of 10-year-old Lewis (Owen Vaccaro) who goes to live with his uncle (Jack Black) in a creaky old house with a mysterious tick-tocking heart. But his new town's sleepy façade jolts to life with a secret world of warlocks and witches when Lewis accidentally awakens the dead. To fight the growing evil, Lewis must learn the ways of magic with his uncle and their neighbour (Cate Blanchett).

The Hurricane Heist

In cinemas around Beijing from Fri 2. 

What could be more exciting than a bank heist for over 600 million USD? A bank heist in the midst of a category-five hurricane, that's what. Starring Toby Kebbell and Maggie Grace, this Rob Cohen film definitely blows... something.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

In cinemas around Beijing from Fri 2. 

Starring Mackenzie Foy, Kiera Knightley, Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, this star-studded cast remakes a family and Christmas favourite with a new take on Hoffmann's short story and the famous ballet. 

A Street Cat Named Bob

In cinemas around Beijing from Fri 2. 

This feel-good story based on true events follows an unlikely hero in the form of a handsome marmalade tomcat. The human who finds him happens to be recovering from a drug addiction when the feline helps turn his life around. So heartwarming was this story, it became an overnight bestselling book before the movie adaption.

For many more great things to do In Beijing, hit 'Read more'.

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