1000-Meter-Long Beer Street at Qingdao International Beer Festival

Qingdao International Beer Festival, the biggest beverage festival in Asia, kicked off this weekend. Now it it’s 22nd year, the festival will take on a carnival like atmosphere over its 16 day life, attracting party-goes and beer lovers from around the world to China. The festival is known amongst the people as ‘Asia’s Oktoberfest’.

Qingdoa, spelt ‘Tsingtao’ in the West, is home of the century old beer brewer Tsingtao. The festival takes places in the Laoshan District in eastern Qingdao, and includes a 1000-meter-long beer street, providing refreshments for over 4 million festival visitors in the hot summer season.  Last year at the 2011 festival, visitors consumed 1200 tons of beer (roughly 1.1 million litres).

Though Tsingtao’s beer plays an important part in the festival, brewers from all over the world have a presence, and attendees can taste beers from not just Asia but also Germany, Denmark, Mexico, Holland, and the USA.

The festival includes both an opening and closing ceremony, beer tastings, drinking challenges, carnival, music performances, and trade events, with many events taking place in the Tsingtao Beer Passion Square.

Qingdao International Beer Festival runs August 11-26 from 9 a.m.-10:30 p.m, www.qdbeer.cn