The Qingdao International Beer Festival (simplified Chinese: 青岛国际啤酒节; traditional Chinese: 青島國際啤酒節; pinyin: qīngdǎo guójì píjiǔjié) is a yearly festival held in Qingdao in Shandong province, China. The event is jointly sponsored by national state ministries and the Qingdao Municipal Government.
First held in 1991 to celebrate the town's hundredth anniversary, festivals feature artistic parades, "Beer Carnival" games, beer tasting, drinking contests, music, food, interactive performances, various brewery beer tents, trade exhibitions, gala performances, carnival amusement park games and rides, and even bikini model contests.[1]
Every year, the festival starts at the second weekend of August and lasts for 16 days.
The festival is held at multiple locations throughout the city. In 2015, a 66.6-hectare site was constructed containing beer tents and stalls selling sauerkraut, bratwurst and beer in plastic carrier bags (a festival tradition) as well as Bavarian band music, mass drinking competitions, Peking opera performances and karaoke.[2]