With the ever-expanding list of restrictions being enforced on the 99.999 percent of Beijing residents not lucky (or important) enough to be part of the dry run of China's big military parade taking place Saturday, we thought: why not stay inside like the good patriot you are and learn about the event worthy of such revelry.

While you may think this holiday weekend would best be spent indoors with the all of the creature comforts of home, there are still a variety of events happening from Friday to Sunday to satisfy those animalistic hungers that can only be quenched by some quality nightlife activity. Here’s a short list of things you can definitely look forward to:
 

So, is your country coming to the big parade to revel in the pomp? China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has gone the way of egocentric, spoiled child and invited basically everyone in the world to the party (except you and me, of course). Expect baijiu to flow through the streets by 6pm Thursday.

We're sad to see our fair city on a "world's unfriendliest cities" list, but we're glad that at least it didn't make the top 10.

In preparation for the September 3 parade, nearly 3,000 temporary toilets have been readied around Tian'anmen Square, an average of one per 24 people.

On the actual day, 129 cubicles will be set up in the Tian'anmen area and along the parade route, in addition to the pre-existing 2,390 toilets. When soldiers, diplomats, and various other people of importance participating in the parade will actually be allowed to use them remains unclear.

Van Gogh Alive, a multimedia show held in honor of the 125th anniversary of van Gogh's death, is opening in Beijing's Chaoyang Joy City on September 8.

Here's a good rule of thumb for September 2 until the evening of September 3: wherever you're going, call first to make sure it's open. And if you're thinking of taking any public transportation to get there, you may wish to plan a back-up route, or borrow, buy, or rent a bicycle.

Burger Brief takes a look at some of the top seeds in the Beijinger 2015 Burger Cup.

So, as usual, we love Beijing, the weather's cooling (a bit), everyone's off, and the skies are blue (for the most part). But this holiday, well ... it's a bit different than average autumn occasion. A bit less festive, perhaps? Sounds like a good one to get away for a few days.

As such, here is a round-up of a whole bunch of places we've recommended for short retreats, both inside and outside of Beijing.

I took a trip to Euro Plaza this week, for the first time in a while. It was 11.45am and I was ready for an early lunch. What I was really craving was sushi. I’ve heard a lot of great stuff about Kyo-Sakura Japanese restaurant, so I decided to give it a try. Sandwiched between Costa Coffee and Starbucks, it’s in a prominent position on the ground floor of the shopping mall. You have a choice of dining inside the bright and very comfortable restaurant, or out on the terrace.