National Day closures: Venues, tourist sites and airports

Photo: Wikimedia Common

A brief guide to the venue closures and reopenings around the PRC's 70th anniversary celebrations

What do you do when the city grinds to a halt? Thinking of escaping town? Or being a hermit for the next fortnight? But where’s the fun in that? The Time Out Beijing team has your back and has been scouring WeChat and the internet to keep you up to date with closures ahead of the PRC’s 70th-anniversary celebrations.

While we’re sure a lot of bar and hospitality staff are looking forward to a hiatus, we know the city can be a bit dull without all the usual hustle and bustle you’ve come to expect from Beijing. Many places are expected to close this week and reopen from the start of October. Not to worry, regularly scheduled fun will start again soon enough.

Venue closures

Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Scott Meltzer

Workers Stadium has been closed off, as well as all the restaurants inside the facility, as confirmed by staff from Oyster Talks’ Gongti outpost.

Lantern, Mix, One Third and other mega Gongti night clubs will remain shut until October 1 or 2. Check back with their respective accounts on WeChat for more updates.

School Bar had its last gig on September 22 and will close from September 23 until October 2.

Arkham closed on September 22 but will be back on October 3.

Modernista is open until September 30 and will open again on October 8.

DDC’s last gig is scheduled on September 29, but they will reopen with SWARRM on October 2.

Zhao Dai closed their doors September 17, stating on their WeChat they will be back in early October.

Many other venues are still unsure of when they will be required to close, but are anticipating a brief interlude.

Museum and tourist site closures

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The Palace Museum has announced a temporary closure from September 21 till Oct 1 according to its official website.

The Forbidden City and all Tian’anmen Square attractions, including the National Museum of China and the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, are also closed from September 21 until October 2, but attractions outside of the city centre, including The Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven, will remain open.

The Beijing Planetarium and Yanqi Lake are closed for National Day, October 1 and opening again October 2.

Because of their central location, the Lama Temple will be closed on Oct 1 as well, with the same expected for Jingshan Park, Zhongshan Park and other landmarks in the city centre.

And the Capital Museum is closed on October 1 and 2, and Prince Gong's Mansion is closed from September 30 until October 2

Airport closures

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

If you’re planning to fly in to or out of Beijing at the start of October, keep in mind that both Capital and Daxing airports will be closed from 9.30am until 12.30pm on October 1, with airlines said to be cancelling flights during this window.

But it's not all bad news. There are many places remaining open over the holiday, including The Bookworm, Migas Mercado and The Hutong. Don't forget to check WeChat accounts to make sure your destination is open.

Click 'Read more' below for our online feature which we'll update with more closures as soon as we learn about them. 

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