Your Ultimate Guide to Beijing's 2020 Events and Holidays
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Managing your time and life here in Beijing can often feel like playing a game of cat and mouse, so get your wall calenders out and stick these dates on – the Year of the Rat is a busy and hectic one, and with that, let us introduce the Beijinger's ultimate guide to 2020 to help you plan out your year.
Friday, Jan 24-Thursday, Jan 30: Chinese New Year
Fireworks, crowded train stations, and empty shops. Besides that, a full week off isn't anything to scoff at. The Chinese New Year holiday is a great opportunity for a quick escape to a warm beach abroad, or stay and enjoy Beijing at its most serene, that is unless you're looking to see the year in with a bang – read our guide to where to buy and set off fireworks here.
Haven't quite had enough of the Chinese New Year festivities? You're in luck as Lantern Festival is just around the corner, so dust your red lanterns, enjoy some tangyuan with the loved ones, or head to Longqingxia in Yanqing County for their annual Ice Lantern Festival.
Friday, Feb 14: Valentine's Day
Choose wisely though, as Beijing is awash with so many venues fighting to host your most romantic evening that you might get fed up with the whole thing before it has begun... which has more in common with our love life more than we'd like to admit.
Saturday, Feb 15-Sunday, Feb 16: Jing International School Expo (JISE)
Got kids or just planning for the future? Our sister publications JingKids and beijingkids hold their annual two-day school expo at Crowne Plaza Beijing Chaoyang U-Town, gathering the city's best pedagogical institutions in one place so that you better choose the right school for your children.
Friday, Mar 13-Friday, Mar 20: Gallery Week Beijing
Gallery Week Beijing gathers cutting-edge contemporary art from around China and abroad to satisfy our itch for art. Hosted in Beijing's ground-zero for art, 798, there'll also be academic forums, social events, and public programs, including five visiting galleries from Zurich, this year's collaborative city.
Monday, Mar 30-Sunday, Apr 5: China Open - Snooker
The fastest-growing sport in China returns to the capital this March-April at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium as snooker's top stars, including Britain's Jack Lisowksi (pictured above), battling it out for over RMB 9 million in prize money. If you're a snooker fan, make sure to cue this one up in your calendar.
Saturday, Apr 4-Monday, 6: Tomb Sweeping Festival
Welcome the arrival of the warm weather in Beijing with a few days off in early April. When they're not visiting their ancestors' graves during Qingming (Tomb Sweeping) Festival, expect to see Beijingers burning small fires of joss paper and cardboard mock-ups of material goods on street corners as they wish their loved ones well in the afterlife.
Saturday, Apr 18-Sunday, Apr 19: The Beijinger 2020 Hot & Spicy Festival
April also marks the return of our annual mouth (and eye)-watering Hot & Spicy Festival. Put your tastebuds to the test with the city's hottest foods as well as our Chili Pepper Eating Contest for the extra-brave. It's going to be a scorcher!
Tuesday, Apr 21-Thursday, Apr 30: Auto China Show
To round out April, Auto China, one of the largest car exhibitions in the world, heads to the gargantuan China International Exhibition Center in Shunyi, exhibiting the latest foreign and domestic cars as well as the newest self-driving technologies. Ironically, traffic gets pretty bad around the center so we'd recommend planning your drive accordingly – which makes us wonder, just when are we getting jetpacks, anyway?
Friday, May 1-Tuesday, May 5: May Day Holiday
Labor Day is here! If the weather holds, expect parks and public squares to be crammed with families looking to bask in the glorious pre-sticky-humid-oh-my-god-it's-too-hot Beijing heat, but don't get too excited, as two makeup days (Apr 26 and May 9) lie sneakily on either side of the holiday.
Friday, May 1-Sunday, May 3: Great Wall Festival
This year, Beijing's biggest EDM festival heads to the Huaibei portion of the Great Wall during the May holiday. Prior to fulfilling your party needs, get off to a guilt-free start with the affiliated 5km Great Wall Run, which directly precedes the first day's musical lineup.
Saturday, May 16: Great Wall Marathon
If you're looking for something a little more strenuous, hit up the 2020 Great Wall Marathon, which is "the most demanding marathon of your life" according to the organizers. Participants from over 60 nations will attempt to conquer the truly incredible feat of running 42km of the windy, hilly Huangyaguan portion of the Great Wall. Best get training!
Saturday, Jun 20-Sunday, Jun 21: The Beijinger 2020 Burger Cup
Another Beijinger event to add to your calendar – the annual Burger Cup, where Beijing's top burger joints and breweries come together to feed you a year's worth of protein over just two days. Of course there'll also be plenty of entertainment to help usher in the start of Burger Cup, which sees every single one of the city's burgers fight it out for the title of Beijing's Best Burger.
Thursday, Jun 25-Sunday, Jun 27 - Dragon Boat Festival
Zongzi, zongzi everywhere! Dragon Boat Festival arrives at the end of June, providing the perfect chance to take in summer weather in the Jing, oar (geddit?) nip out of town for a cheeky four-day trip.
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Saturday, Jul 4: Independence Day
Americans ring in their day of independence with star-spangled muscle tees, gallons of Pabst Blue Ribbon, and lots of meat on the barbecue while the rest of us watch on with bemusement.
Sunday, Jul 26: Double Sixth Festival
A lesser-known Chinese festival that celebrates the relationships between spouses and their in-laws, those of you who've married here should prepare for invasive questioning and a baijiu bender. If you're really keen, take a short trip to Mount Tai, where the festival is said to have originated.
Dates TBD: Dice Con
You certainly won't get board (har!) at this celebration of all things games, which is hosted at the Agricultural Exhibition Center every summer. Attendees are advised that there will be no table-flipping since the tables will be bolted to the floor – we don't want a repeat of last year.
Aug 22-23: The Beijinger 2020 Pizza Festival
The last of the Beijinger's annual festivals, Pizza Festival returns with two more days of everything dedicated to pizza. Last year saw things get saucy with a toga costume competition, live music, and dancing, all accompanied by piping hot slices of 'za. If you're even remotely interested in shoving hot cheese and dough into your face (to be fair, who isn't?), you won't want to miss out on this one.
Dates TBD: Beijing Fashion Week
Beijing Fashion Week returns to the capital to showcase the capital's best, and occasionally whackiest, forays into the next biggest catwalk trends. Taking place at Fangheng International Center and around 798, this is the place to be and been seen.
Dates TBD: Beijing Design Week
The oxymoronic month-long Beijing Design Week takes over the capital again this September, attracting contributors and visitors from far and wide, and burrowing itself into Beijing's streets and galleries.
Thursday, Oct 1-Thursday, Oct 8: National Day Holiday
Don't expect a relaxed rooftop dinner on Oct 1 – China's National Day is notorious for its strict regulations and tight security. We recommend to GTFO of Beijing or simply stocking up on some good recipes and films for one of the most chill weeks of the year.
Thursday, Oct 1: Mid-Autumn Festival
The stars have aligned this year, with Mid-Autumn Festival also falling on Oct 1. Expect more lanterns, food, and general holiday malaise as mooncakes make the rounds and you eat yourself into calorific oblivion. Then burn it off with walks in Beijing's beautiful autumnal parks and make the most of the city's markets before temperatures start to drop.
Sunday, Oct 4-Sunday, Oct 11: China Open - Tennis
Tennis returns to China in the first week of October, as the ATP Tour brings superstars like Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka to the National Tennis Center's sky-blue hard courts.
Saturday, Oct 31: Halloween
Ghouls and goblins fill the streets on Oct 31, and you expect an extra-long witching hour this year given that Halloween lands on a Saturday.
Wednesday, Nov 11: Double Eleven/Single's Day
Originally started as an innocent celebration of singleness, 11.11 (双十一 shuāng shíyī) was quickly commandeered by the evil claw of capitalism so as to celebrate – what else – buying things. Only you can decide if you want to save up and splurge or not. Whatever you do, make sure to give special thanks to your local kuaidi guy.
Thursday, Nov 26: Thanksgiving
Should you be America, give thanks at the end of November at one of the many turkey feasts that swoop down on the city. If you're not from the US, simply use it as an excuse to eat well and as a test run for Christmas, a mere month away.
Tuesday, Dec 22: Dongzhi Festival
Winter solstice, as it's known in English, marks the (literal) darkest day of the year. For the occasion, loosen your belt and chow down on a heaving plate of dumplings at one of the city's numerous dumpling restaurants.
Friday, Dec 25: Christmas
Gather your friends, family, and dearest for a feast for the ages – yes, it's Christmas again, arguably the coziest holiday. This year it lands on a Friday, which will make for a fine three-day weekend should your work grant you a day off.
Thursday, Dec 31: New Year's Eve
Where did the time go? That's all folks!
READ: Official China 2020 Holiday Calendar Has Record 7 Miserable Weekend Makeup Days
Images: Gallery Weekend Beijing, World Snooker Tour, Auto China, Great Wall Festival, Great Wall Marathon, Beijing Fashion Week, Beijing Design Week, China Open, TheBeijinger, Jude Beck (via Unsplash)
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