mini quickslants: Samba and bluegrass with a side of fireworks and fairs

Not much happening here folks, please move along!

so yeah, it Chinese New Year in Beijing and the city has come to a halt! No live shows, restaurants shut down, people leaving town for warmer beach-ier pastures. What of us the ones that are left behind? what are we gonna do to distract ourselves? well, it might not be much but there are a few goodies around

Friday Feb 12:

Redbucks @ Jianghu: my favorite rowdy stomp crew is still in town and still intent on getting you off your lazy rear end into a dance floor. perfect opportunity to head over to Salud afterwards for a few Rums to fight off this umpteenth cold spell that’s hitting Beijing.

Brazilian carnival @ Ginkgo: samba, costumes, sunshine, dancing and ginkgo’s eclectic crowd are incredibly unpredictable. Poncho Y Sal bring the beats and I’ve seen people over there dance til the wee hours of the morning.

and that is it folks… that will be all your live music for a little while

Sunday FEb 14

Time to get off your rear ends and get some culture with one of the million temple fairs taking place in Beijing. It’s a cool chance to just get out and especially if the weather cooperates and get exposed to a different side of the capital. The Lama Temple and Ditan Park area will be crazy so I can’t say I’d go there for sure but some of the smaller temple fairs are worth the trip:

Dongyue Temple Fair
Held within a centrally-located Daoist temple, Dongyue’s fair boasts a huge number of food stalls, with cultural exhibitions and ethnic performances. RMB 10. 8.30am-4.30pm (Feb14-20).
141 Chaoyangmenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District. (6551 0151) 东岳庙，朝阳区朝阳门外大街141号

Shijingshan Temple Fair
Unlike other temple fairs around town, Shijingshan’s is full of foreign scenes, sounds and foods. Celebrate the exotic! Perhaps as a result, this fair is said to draw many foreigners. Nothing goes with foreign like foreigners. RMB 10.
8.30am-5.30pm (Feb 14-21). 25 Shijingshan Lu, Shijingshan District. (6886 2547) 石景山游乐园, 石景山区石景山, 25号

full list over at The Beijinger Blog:

http://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2010/02/12/All-s-Fair-During-Chunjie-Beijings-Temple-Fairs