The best things to do in Beijing this weekend

Your weekend guide to the best of Beijing

Happy New Year, Beijing! We hope the Year of the Pig has begun well for you and yours. To make this first weekend of the Lunar New Year great, we've got a bunch of brilliant events for you to check out.

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.

Chinese New Year

Digital Photography 101

The SLab. 10am. Sat 9. 2,200RMB. 

For those who have little to no understanding of all the buttons and functions on a camera, The SLab's Digitial Photography 101 program is the best place to start learning. Although a big portion of the course is devoted to deciphering a camera's main functions, they will also be looking at techniques and the theory of photography, as well as how these functions are used in relation to each other to achieve the best results when taking photos. For more information and to sign up, visit The SLab's website (www.theslab.space) or find them on WeChat (ID: TheSlabBeijing). 

Forbidden City Tour: From Dynasty to Republic

Forbidden City. Sat 9. 350RMB. 

Join Beijing Postcards on a tour of the Forbidden City to learn more about how the last emperor of China was ousted from his residence in the Imperial Palace. The young emperor, Puyi, had lived most of his life inside the palace, confined to an area smaller than one square kilometre. Puyi's departure marked the end of the strange 13 years where both Dynasty and Republic co-existed within the confines of the Imperial compound. The dismissal of the young bespectacled 'boy' emperor was an event of truly epic proportions, resulting in the dissolution of Imperial China's most important institution.

Find out the whole story on a walk with Beijing Postcards. For more information and to get tickets, click here.

Sewing 101

The SLab. Sat 9-Sun 10; Wed 13 Feb-Wed 13 Mar. 1,800RMB.

Learn the fundamentals of sewing by identifying and preparing materials, learning how to use a sewing machine as well as all the necessary stitches to start and finish your sewing projects. Join the two- or four-session programs and complete the course with a drawstring bag and any additional accessories, from a personalised tote bag to an apron. For more information, visit their website (www.theslab.space). 

Two Session Program: Feb 9-10 (Saturday & Sunday); 10am-3pm.

Four Session Program: Feb 13-Mar 6 (Wednesdays); 7-9pm.

Chinese New Year deals

Arrow Factory Buy one, get one free on select beers each day until Sun 10. See more here. 

Jing A Spend 150RMB or more and get a hongbao. Until Feb 11. Read more here. 

Moka Bros 50 percent off on kids' meals. All of February. Read more here. 

Side Street Buy any burger, get a hongbao throughout Chinese New Year. 1pm-1am.

Café Zarah's My Jiaozi Party

Café Zarah. 6pm. Sat 9. 128RMB. 

Join the team at Café Zarah for a big reunion dinner with communal cooking tables. Learn the art of dumpling-making where you can mix and match the ingredients from an extensive buffet selection to create dumplings just the way you like them – traditional, fusion, or something new and creative. From 6-9pm, cook and eat as many dumplings as you want. For more information, click here. 

Natural Flavor Hip-Hop Party

PH Global. 10.30pm. Fri 8. 100RMB. 

Spend the night listening to dope beats and fresh rhymes with DJs Nasty Ray, 4tael and Flycko on decks. For more information, click here. 

Bob Marley Day

Omni Space. 9pm. Sat 9. 100RMB; 80RMB (presale).

Celebrate Bob Marley again this year at one of the biggest reggae parties in China. Featuring One Drop Band, Rawhx, Sistakilla L, Zulu Bob and many more, the evening will be a tribute to the legend and the genre of music he helped create.

Lunar New Year Love

Zhao Dai. 10pm. Sat 9. Tickets TBC. 

Celebrate all the Lunar New Year love with Zhao Dai and DJs Ouyang, Kenkeni and TKL. Expect deep house and techno beats.

The Wandering Earth (流浪地球)

On general release now. 

Adapted from a short story by renowned sci-fi writer Liu Cixin, director Frant Gwo's much-anticipated The Wandering Earth is being hailed as China's biggest sci-fi movie to date and is set for release on Chinese New Year's Day. The premise? With the sun about to imminently die, humanity sets a plan in motion to launch planet Earth out of orbit and to find a new home in space. Original language: Mandarin. 

The Room and The Disaster Artist

Camera Stylo. 8.30pm. Sat 9. 50RMB. 

Dubbed 'the Citizen Kane of bad movies', The Room quickly became a cult film due to the sheer bizarreness of its storytelling (not to mention Tommy Wiseau's unorthodox performance). It would eventually go on to inspire a memoir by actor Greg Sestero (oh hai, Mark) called The Disaster Artist, before finally being turned into a motion picture based on the book starring James Franco. Head to Camera Stylo this Saturday night to catch back-to-back screenings of both films. The Room starts at 8.30pm, and The Disaster Artist begins at 11pm.

Rhythm of the Dance

NCPA. Thu 7-Sun 10. 180-1,080RMB. 

Continuing the legacy of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance, Rhythm of the Dance is bringing Irish entertainment into a new era. The National Dance Company of Ireland's stunning production combines traditional Celtic rhythms with Latin tunes to tell the story of the Irish Celts throughout history. 

Russian National Ballet: The Nutcracker

Poly Theatre. 7.30pm. Fri 8-Sat 5. 100-2,019RMB. 

The premiere of The Nutcracker transformed classical ballet into a fairy-tale and became one of Tchaikovsky’s most famous compositions, as well as one of the most popular ballets in the world. Featuring a timeless score from this gifted composer, The Nutcracker tells a fantastical story that begins as night falls on Christmas Eve. When midnight strikes, the audience is swept away to a fairy-tale world where toy dolls spring to life and the Mouse King and his mouse army battle with the Nutcracker Prince.

Celebrating the Spring Festival in the Forbidden City

Forbidden City. Until Sun 7 Apr. 40RMB. 

The Palace Museum, and the Forbidden City in general, will celebrate the Year of the Pig with a special showcase of art, historical relics and traditional decorations. Learn more about the history and significance of the Spring Festival at this one-off exhibition.

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

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