10 fantastic things to do in Beijing this week

Your weekly guide to Beijing's most wonderful events

One. More. Week. You can do it, and to help you through these final few days in the Year of the Dog, we've got a whole lot of great things for you to do around the city. As well as these highlights, there are many more things to do in Beijing this week: explore, enjoy and don't forget to Instagram us your snaps with #timeoutbeijing.

Game Night

Yard House. 7.30pm. Mon 28. 30RMB. 

Enjoy games? Want to play all night long with friends new and old? Head now to Sanlitun this Monday night for a night of games, games, games. Games start at 7.30pm and your 30RMB entrance tickets includes a free beer, drink or mocktail.

Capital Spirits takes over Arcade

Hatchery Arcade. 7pm. Thu 31. 200RMB. 

For the past five Chinese New Years, Capital Spirits has always sought to help those left behind in Beijing ring in the Lunar New Year the traditional way: with dumplings and baijiu. Lots of baijiu. To spread more warmth and joy, Capital Spirits is closing up their hutong doors on Thursday to come over to Arcade and take over the bar in true Chinese New Year Fashion. Enjoy free-flow Baijiu Sours, Kirin beer and jiaozi for just 200RMB, along with good vibes and great tunes.

Last cheese fondue craze at Café Zarah 

Café Zarah. 7pm. Sat 2. 198RMB.

How do bubbling pots of hot Swiss cheese sound? If that's your thing, head to Café Zarah this Saturday for the last fondue buffet for the winter. Enjoy three hours of free-flow fondue buffet with dippers such as cornichons, mini pearl onions, baby potatoes and more, along with all-you-can-eat starters and salads. Reservation of a minimum of two people is needed before February 1. Call 8403 9807 or email [e-mail].

Ciel

Zhao Dai. From 10pm. Fri 1. 100RMB; 80RMB (presale).

A producer, DJ, promoter and radio programmer based out of Toronto, Cindy Li (aka Ciel) runs forward-thinking party series Work in Progress and is the co-founder of collective It's Not U It's Me. After making her Boiler Room debut in August 2017 in Toronto alongside Nick Holder, Basic Soul Unit, and Funkineven, she's continued to make waves as a new addition to the Discwoman roster, as well as been touted by Mixmag, Resident Advisor, Crack and Red Bull Music Academy as one to watch, all of which followed the release of her debut EP, Electrical Encounters, at the end of 2017.

Widows

Camera Stylo. 8pm. Fri 1. Free. 

Three women dominate the story: They’re the recent widows of a deceased gang of high-stakes criminals, men who barely get any screen time. In their absence, Veronica (Davis) floats around her white-walled penthouse like a ghost, Linda (Michelle Rodriguez) gets her thrift store sold from under her, and Alice, an abused blonde trophy wife (Elizabeth Debicki), is urged by her own mother to become an escort. As if economic freefall and grief weren’t enough, their husbands’ unfinished business shows up on their doorsteps, in the form of thugs demanding payment.

A Private War

Camera Stylo. 10.30pm. Fri 1. Free. 

A Private War, about the real-life work of battle-scarred Marie Colvin, who died reporting from Syria in 2012, is ragged yet sumptuous, filled with moments for devastating monologues yet never so obvious as to be self-aggrandizing. Colvin’s pain – she had PTSD, it's been theorised, and blocked out the horrors of what she saw – plays like a death wish at times. Based on the true story of Colvin's life, the film stars Rosamund Pike, Tom Hollander, Jamie Dornan and Stanley Tucci.

Bohemian Rhapsody

Camera Stylo. 8pm. Sat 2. Free. 

Bohemian Rhapsody is as brash, loud and mask-wearing as Freddie Mercury was at his most playful. Another movie would try to get behind the legend or play with the idea of it but this does neither. Instead, it grabs the legend by the neck and gallops recklessly through the movie on it, climaxing in a wholesale extended recreation of one of the most famous rock gigs of all time: Queen at Live Aid.

Carmen

NCPA. 7.30pm. Wed 30-Fri 1. 160-880RMB. 

The Ballet Flamenco de Granda perform Prosper Mérimée's beautiful tragedy on the NCPA stage. The fieriness of Carmen's love and passion shines through the flamenco interpretation, letting the love, envy, conflict and delight come to life through dazzling costumes and breathtaking choreography.

Beauty in Landscape 

NAMOC. Until 24 Feb.

Head to NAMOC this Spring Festival and discover over 300 works from around the country. Using Beauty in Landscape as the main theme, the exhibition showcases the beautiful natural and spiritual scenery of China.

Recurring: Dialogue across Time and Space

Mountain Art Beijing + Frank Lin Art Centre. Until 17 Mar. 

Time and space recur throughout this exhibition, pushing the boundaries of what has and can be. Through different mediums and constructs, the artists question what recurrence means.

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

You might have missed

More from Time Out Beijing

Stay up to date in Beijing