The Great Wall Aircraft Carrier Party is one of two big out-of-town attractions this weekend. El-Mar, Suki and friends including Patrick Yu, Blackie, Ou Yang, Oshi and Tnem are once again taking over a Tianjin-stationed Soviet warship for China's only all-night rave combining both ship and DJ decks. Tickets are RMB 300 (includes transport to and from venue) and available at Clubzone.cn and venues around town; for more information, call 136 8126 3981. For those with tickets, buses will leave from Chaoyang Park South Gate at 5.30pm and from Huaqing Jiayuan West Gate in Wudaokou at 5pm.

The other big out-of-towner is the New Moon Party, which the organizers are hyping as "the first Full Moon Party in China." Hmm, not sure about that, but should be fun, so if you fancy getting smashed and camping out on a beach this Saturday night, the party takes place on "Moon Island," an island a few hours drive away from downtown Beijing. The party starts just after noon on Saturday, running all the way through till Sunday morning (proper Sunday morning, that is, 8am or so). Coaches set out from Guomao Qiao at 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm on Saturday, and the tickets cost RMB 300 (which includes the bus fare). Live music throughout the day, with four DJs taking over and playing right through till the last dancer drops. Keeping the Full Moon Party end up are bonfires on the beach, fire dancers and a light show, and you can also rent quad bikes, motorbikes, jetskis and fishing boats. Phew. All that in 18 hours?

With their summer pool parties, Riviera Events have long been pushing the point of view that you don't have to go to the beach to enjoy a beach-style party. Their next party is on Saturday afternoon (Jul 2, 1-8pm), again at the I.O. Spa at the east gate of the Workers' Stadium, and costs RMB 100. DJ Maxwell plays the tunes, with the after party moving on to The Beach. For a taste of what you can expect, check out the beautiful people from last month's party in our Gallery.

Now lads, whether you're off to the New Moon Party or Riviera's pool party, why not be bold and swap those conservative swimming shorts for a pair of Speedos? This week, our Style Editor has been highlighting the extra boost these nifty creations offer the man who wants to look his best on the beach (or at the pool party). And we're offering a pair to the lucky reader who can tell us: In which year were full-body swimsuits banned for competitive swimming? Email your answers - along with your swimwear size - to win@thebeijinger.com.

The weekend is bookended by North American celebrations, with Canada Day tomorrow (Jul 1) and US Independence Day on Monday (Jul 4). We've got more of both coming up on the website, but for now we can tell you that Grinders will be doing RMB 15 Moosehead all day on Friday, as well as "poutine by the boatload" and Canadian music, presumably by the jar-of-maple-syrup-load. Owner Trevor Metz tells us the Grinders crew also plans to play a bit of street hockey - we'll have to see what the local bao an have to say about that, but wish them well in the endeavor. Eh.

I was surprised to hear yesterday that Aluss has closed, only a few months after opening on Gulou Dongdajie. Owner Aluss (yep, same name) is supposedly looking at another venue. Ah well, at least he still has Amilal. Beijing Boyce broke this story, and has more news on the subject here.

Last bit of news - Beer Mania's renovation is nearing completion, and they'll be celebrating with a reopening party on July 9. The bar will likely be "soft opening" around July 7, if not before, but the big one is on July 9, when there'll be drinks deals, half-price Gung Ho! pizzas, music from the Beijing Beatles, and a pool competition on their new pool table, with the first prize a 3 liter bottle of Chimay Blue. Looking forward to it already.