The best things to do in Beijing this week

Your weekly guide to the very best of Beijing

With festivals of all kinds coming out of our ears, this week is looking up for anyone into books and coffee. With great musicians, art shows and other events happening all week, there's more than enough to do in this beautifully warm weather.

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. 

Bookworm Literary Festival

The Bookworm. Until Sun 31. 

The literary fest kicked off this past weekend, with great talks from feminist authors and old China-hand historians. This week sees Dr Xiaopei He discuss sham marriages in China (Tue 19), Liam Callanan talk about his international best-selling novel Paris by the Book (Thu 21) and so much more. Extract the QR code below for the full list of events and links to buy tickets, and read our best of the fest. 

Australian Writers Week

Venues around Beijing. Tues 19-Sun 24. 

The twelfth-annual Australian Writers Week in China begins this week in Beijing, but you don't have to come from the land Down Under to appreciate the incredible wordsmiths that are arriving to celebrate. For the uninitiated, Australian Writers Week is a China-wide event celebrating some of the very best in Aussie literary talent, with events in Beijing spanning from Tuesday 19 to Sunday 24. This year's festival features Graeme Simsion, Julie Koh, Morris Gleitzman and Richard Fidler. For more information, extract the QR code below. 

Rodeo Party

Home Plate Sanlitun. 6.30pm. Sat 23. Free. 

Calling all cowboys and cowgirls: Home Plate is bringing you drink deals, amazing home cookin' and dancing all night long. Plus, there'll be a real 'live' mechanical bull for you to ride. Head over from 6.30-9pm for the whole hog buffet (138RMB) or for a go on the bull (until 9pm). Beat the bartender or other patrons to nab yourself a whole lot of prizes. For more information, click here.

Joe Wong

Shunyifornia Theatre. 8pm. Sat 23. 250RMB. 

While he's already rather famous China-wide, Joe's also made himself a name in America after winning the Great American Comedy Festival back in 2010 and for his multiple appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman. Catch him out in Shunyi this weekend for another night of laughs.

Tiananmen and the Making of Modern Beijing: A Walk and Discussion

Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall. 2pm. Sun 24. 200RMB. 

For much of China’s modern history, the area around Tiananmen has been the political epicentre of the Chinese nation. It is the beating heart of Beijing and the stage for some of history's most dramatic moments. This walk and discussion will take you through Beijing’s past, from its days as an imperial capital through the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and down to the present day. During this two-hour walk, visit the Beijing Urban Planning Hall (a fascinating museum in desperate need of a catchier name!) and explore Tiananmen Square. To get tickets before they sell out, visit beijingbyfoot.com now. 

Meet the Brewer

Side Street. 7pm. Wed 20. 109RMB. 

Join brewmasters Jason Smith and Rob Paul from Prodigy Brewing to learn more about their Beijing brews, alongside beer tasting and a screening of the short movie Beers of Joy. Tickets include free-flow Prodigy beers, including Happy Hydra IPA and Beijing Haze Hefeweizen. Pre-pay or book at the door by contacting the organiser through WeChat (ID: karmafier).

Ethiopian Table with Abenet Belay

4corners. 6.30pm. Fri 22. 188-288RMB. 

Ethiopian food in Beijing? You heard right. This Friday, Addis Ababa native Abenet Belay heads to 4corners to prepare her country's famous cuisine for you, for one night only. Choose from a mixed meat platter (228RMB) featuring yē'bēg tibs, alicha, dulte and more, or go for the vegetarian option that includes duba key wet, yēkik alicha and more. Pre-booking is essential, so click here for information on how to book and for full menus. 

Vegan Cocktails for Cat Tails

Side Street. 7pm. Fri 22. 160-210RMB. 

Help rescue cats while enjoying vegan cocktails and burgers. Alongside music and DJs, sip on vegan cocktails from Rollbox while all proceeds go to Tianjin meat truck rescue cats. Get one cocktail and a raffle ticket (160RMB) or a cocktail, vegan burger and raffle ticket (210RMB). To book now, extract the QR code below.

Cherry Coffee Festival

24H Gear Square Creative Park. 10am. Sat 23-Sun 24. 90RMB (one-day pass); 100RMB (two-day pass).

Gathering the best of international and local speciality coffee over one weekend, there's sure to be something for every coffee-lover at Cherry Coffee Festival. Whether you're a casual sipper or full-blown coffee connoisseur, be spoilt for choice by nearly 25 coffee stalls, including some of the biggest names in the world of speciality coffee. The festival features Intelligentsia Coffee from Chicago, a roster of eight international roasters hailing from Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and more, and over ten local favourites like Barista Specialty and SOE Coffee. Food and booze will also be available for purchase courtesy of Slow Boat, Miss Muesli, Hotpress and Avocado Drum. For more information and to get presale tickets, extract the QR code below. 

Tom Odell

Century Theatre. 8.30pm. Wed 20. 380-780RMB. 

English singer-songwriter Tom Odell arrives in Beijing performing music from his latest album Jubilee Road. With his gut-wrenchingly honest lyrics and earworm-heavy choruses, the Ivor Novello award-winner creates catchy, piano-driven pop that's reminiscent of Keane and Elton John. For your last chance to win tickets, click here. 

Disco for Doggies

Caravan. 9pm. Fri 22. 50RMB. 

Dancing for dogs? Sounds perfect. Head to Caravan this Friday for a special four-year anniversary celebration in collaboration with The Lost Puppies of Beijing. All proceeds from the evening will go towards a whole lot of puppies that were recently found abandoned at a construction site in Beijing. Funds raised will help the puppies find forever homes and get them through the tough next few weeks filled with vet appointments and parvo treatment. For more information and tickets, click here.

Wrong Assessment

Lantern. From 10pm. Sat 23. 80RMB; 50RMB (presale).

Spinning out of Milan, multi-talented physiotherapist-slash-DJ Wrong Assessment brings his Italian vibes to the city this weekend with a special party at Lantern. Supported by Weng Weng and Rhom Omit, Wrong Assessment heads up the celebrations for Blackout's second anniversary.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Camera Stylo. 8.30pm. Thu 21. Free. 

Based on the incredible true story of a young boy in Malawi who wanted to find a way to study, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind tells the tale of William Kamkwamba and the windmill he built to save his family from drought. Originally a memoir, the book was turned into a Netflix feature written and directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor. 

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

On general release from Fri 22. 

Five years and two spin-off movies later, writer-producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller return to Bricksburg for a bigger, louder and brasher second Lego instalment. Everybrick hero Emmet (Chris Pratt) is still his glass-half-full self, while Lucy (Elizabeth Banks), his Master Builder girlfriend, has become more brooding as their town, now known as Apocalypseburg, takes a beating from Duplo invaders. When an alien kidnaps Lucy, Batman (Will Arnett) and pals, Emmet mounts a solo mission to rescue them.

Bohemian Rhapsody 

On general release from Friday 22. 

The afterlife has rarely been quiet for Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, who died young in 1991 after a flurry of late-life creativity. First came Wayne’s World, with Mike Myers head-banging along to Queen’s 1975 hit ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. Then came a massive tribute concert in 1992 and a globetrotting stage musical, We Will Rock You in the 2000s. Now, 27 years on, comes the authorised movie biopic to push the Freddie Mercury legend even further into the realm of the unreal. Bohemian Rhapsody is as brash, loud and mask-wearing as Mercury at his most playful.

Marina Abramović

Light Society. Until Sat 15 Jun. 50RMB. 

Marina Abramović, a Serbian performance artist who works with video, photographs, sculpture and more, has been exploring feminist and body art for over 40 years. Her pieces challenge the relationship between artist and viewer, calling for her audiences to reinterpret the possibilities and limitations of the body and mind. This exhibition will showcase new and key works – some of which have never before been shown in China.

National Geographic: A New Age of Exploration 2.0

Beijing World Art Museum. Sat 23 Mar-Sun 23 Jun. 80-210RMB. 

Covering 130 years of the landmark magazine's stunning history, this exhibition brings to life photos taken from all corners of the earth and elaborates on the often haunting stories behind them. After doing so well the last time this exhibition was in town, it returns again with over 100 classic Nat Geo images.

Little Women

Nine Theatre. 7.30pm. Thu 21-Sat 23. 80-380RMB. 

Chapterhouse Theatre Company brings the timeless story of Little Women to Beijing. Based on the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott, four sisters - Jo, Beth, Meg and Amy - tell the story of their life during the American Civil War. It is a story of romance, love, passion and friendship. The tale of these four sisters is brought to life in a brand-new adaption from Chapterhouse, featuring period costumes, traditional live music and a story of self-discovery to warm your heart.

School of Rock 

Tianqiao Performing Arts Centre. 7.30pm. Fri 22 Mar-Sun 14 Apr. 180-1,180RMB. 

With a new score from Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater, a book by Julian Fellowes and an incredible cast, School of Rock hits all the right notes. The story follows Dewey Finn, a failed, wannabe rock star who decides to earn a bit of extra cash by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. There he turns a class of straight-A students into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band.

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

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