Qingdao Intl Beer Festival kicks off with opening ceremony
Updated: 2013-08-12 17:01
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Qingdao hosted an opening ceremony to celebrate the 23rd Qingdao International Beer Festival on Saturday, August 10, starting a 16-day carnival that evokes infinite happiness for citizens and tourists across its six districts and four satellite cities.
Visitors can drink up to 300 kinds of beer from 27 major beer companies across 18 countries. Meanwhile, a total of 15 grand tents offering delicacies from around the world have been set up at the main venue.
Compared with previous years, this year's opening ceremony at its main venue, Beer City, was relatively modest due to the country's call to stop waste.
"The ceremony only lasted 3 minutes and is the shortest one ever," said Lin Xingyu, chief consultant at the beer festival office of the Qingdao municipal government.
"The overall cost of this year's opening ceremony only accounts for one-third of last year's budget," he added.
Still, the ceremony was stunning, with nine Harley motorbikes leading the floats parade around the Beer City. Live music and other performances were presented at the festival after the parade. The highlights also include a Scottish band, belly dancing, and drum shows by nine children between the ages of 4 and 5. Most of the performers were chosen from the local entertainment industry.