17 superb things to do in Beijing this weekend

Your weekend guide to Beijing's most wonderful events

Whether you're heading off on holiday next week or sticking around Beijing, pretend it's a vacation this weekend by heading out to one of these great events. If you're into films, especially Oscar-nominated ones, then Camera Stylo has you covered. If you're into art, galleries around the city have amazing exhibitions on, and that's to say nothing of the bars and restaurants offering up pre-CNY treats and beats for you. 

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.

InterNations Chinese New Year Party

George's Bar. 7pm. Fri 1. 130RMB; 100RMB (member).

Celebrate the beginning of the New Year festivities with InterNations at George's Bar. Bring along your friends and meet and mingle new ones. A lucky draw begins at 10pm, where you can win prizes from Budureasca Winery, The Cheesecake Factory, Sherpas and Catherine de France. For more information, contact the organisers on 135 0138 2597 or 185 1593 3983.

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 teaming up with Hatchery Arcade and taking over its 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.

Chinese New Year Dumplings Party

The Hutong. 6pm. Sat 2. 200RMB; 180RMB (members). 

The Hutong's ringing in the Year of the Pig with their fourth annual Chinese New Year Dumpling Party. The culinary team will teach you the steps of this classic ritual, from rolling to filling to wrapping. Along with the dumpling-making lesson, you'll also enjoy beer, mulled wine, lucky prizes and, naturally, all the dumplings you can eat.

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].

The Night of Beijing

Lantern. From 10pm. Fri 1. 50RMB. 

On the last Friday of the Year of the Dog, head underground and dance the year away with local Beijing DJs. Featuring Huang Weiwei, Zhanglin, Weng Weng, Wtrmln and more, get ready to welcome in the New Year.

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-aggrandising. 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.

Fyre

Camera Stylo. 10.30pm. Sat 2. Free. 

Fyre Festival was plugged to be one of the hottest and hippest events of the century. Heavily marketed by social media 'influencers', the party on an island was created and led by the Fyre team, made up in part by Ja Rule and Billy McFarland. This brand new documentary sets out the build-up to the festival... and what really happened behind the scenes to lead to one of the biggest festival disasters of the century.

Vice

Camera Stylo. 8pm. Sun 3. Free. 

You’re not going to a movie called Vice – a chaotic, psychologically dense thicket out of which slinks the Beltway swamp creature Dick Cheney (an astounding Christian Bale, invisible under prosthetics) – expecting a revisionist perspective. That's never going to happen. Cheney was actually a nice guy? Nope. And even though the frequently meta writer-director Adam McKay (The Big Short) provides us with an onscreen character who blasts the film we're watching for its liberal bias, that self-own doesn't get Vice off the hook. It's still a big hunk of red meat, politically speaking.

Ballet Flamenco de Granada: Carmen

NCPA. 7.30pm. Thu 31-Fri 1. 160-880RMB. 

This week, the Ballet Flamenco de Granada bring Prosper Mérimée's beautiful tragedy to the NCPA stage. Carmen's fire and passion shine through this flamenco interpretation, letting love, envy, conflict and delight come to life through dazzling costumes and breathtaking choreography.

Beijing Symphony Orchestra: New Year Concert

NCPA. 7.30pm. Fri 1. 100-500RMB. 

Ring in the Year of the Pig with the BSO. Led by Tan Lihua, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra plays a New Year concert showcasing music from around China that celebrates the Spring Festival.

Beauty in Landscape 

NAMOC. 9am-5pm Tue-Sun. Until Feb 24.

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. 11am-6pm Tue-Sun. Until Sun Mar 17. 

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.

Photo Exhibition: The Last Ladies with Bound Feet

Café Zarah. 10am-midnight daily. Until Wed 13 Mar.

During the nineteenth century, it was estimated that around half of all Chinese women had bound feet, but the practice was outlawed after the collapse of the Qing Dynasty in 1912. Despite this, it continued for a while, not only in remote areas but also in big cities like Beijing, though has largely disappeared in the last century. But you can still find older ladies who suffered tremendously in the pursuit of the 'perfect' little foot. This exhibition shares some of the stories of the very last ladies left with bound feet, as told to Cameron Hack, the photographer behind Humans of China.

Qiu Zhijie: Mappa Mundi

UCCA. 10am-7pm Tue-Sun. Until Sun 5 May. 60RMB.

With a background in calligraphy, Chinese artist Qiu Zhijie makes stunning ink maps, taking elements of traditional topographical and spatial maps and using them to explore connections between different ideas, individuals and incidents, weaving them together, and offering a possibility for understanding them in relation to each other.

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

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