the Beijinger

Time for another rundown of what to see and where this weekend. We've been getting pretty excited for a while now about the China Music Valley Festival. The wait is finally over. If you can handle the journey north to Pinggu District (the organizers are laying on transport from various downtown points in the city, so you really have no excuse not to), then you will be rewarded with a bevy of major international acts, and one or two top domestic turns as well.

China Music Valley Festival 2012 ended on Sunday with a sparse crowd staying to catch the headline act. UK pop diva Joss Stone looked decidedly less than impressed that revelers left in their droves as she gave the final performance of the three-day extravaganza in Pinggu district’s Yuyang International Ski Resort on Sunday night.

This month, Acid Live celebrates three years as Beijng’s pioneering acid jazz outfit. In those three years they’ve made an indelible imprint on the music scene in Beijing with their live shows becoming famed across the land. As they come of age (in dog years) and get ready for their big birthday bash, they reveal just how acerbic they’ve become down the years.

It seems the end to festival silly season could be in sight as summer music behemoth China Music Valley Festival has now released an official-looking lineup for the May extravaganza.

We sent four intrepid revelers out to the four corners of the city to check out the opening exchanges and report back on their findings. (Yes, there were five events last weekend, but try as we might, we couldn’t manage to wrangle tickets for MAXX Festival.) We attempted to score the various festivals school report style, on everything from ticket prices and sound quality to beer availability and toilet standards. The festivals were evaluated in nine different categories and were awarded a final grade after consideration.

Here's part four, as we grade the Great Electronic Music Festival.

As the NHL Playoffs approach and toothless goons* across the capital prepare for two months of nerve-shredding, bone-crunching competition, here's a guide to where you can catch the action.

After just a three-day work week, we can get back to enjoying the fruits of summer tomorrow as the Beijing temperature heats up. One joint you should make the most of is Punk at the Opposite House. We just received confirmation from the hotel that the nightlife titan is set to close its doors for the last time on May 19th with a closing party. They also mentioned that it's set to be replaced somewhere along the line by "something yummy", and that Punk will still be available for private parties until then.

So where did you spend the opening weekend of the Beijing music festival season? We sent four intrepid revelers out to the four corners of the city to check out the opening exchanges and report back on their findings. (Yes, there were five events last weekend, but try as we might, we couldn’t manage to wrangle tickets for MAXX Festival.) We attempted to score the various festivals school report style, on everything from ticket prices and sound quality to beer availability and toilet standards. The festivals were evaluated in nine different categories and were awarded a final grade after consideration.

We sent four intrepid revelers out to the four corners of the city to check out the opening exchanges and report back on their findings. (Yes, there were five events last weekend, but try as we might, we couldn’t manage to wrangle tickets for MAXX Festival.) We attempted to score the various festivals school report style, on everything from ticket prices and sound quality to beer availability and toilet standards. The festivals were evaluated in nine different categories and were awarded a final grade after consideration.

Here's part two, as we grade the Midi Music Festival.