36th Qingdao Beer Festival Opens Old City Venue at Dabaodao District

The old city venue of the 36th Qingdao International Beer Festival is located in the Dabaodao historical district, where Guangxingli, a key courtyard space in the southern section, has been converted into an immersive tavern. In the early evening, the century-old courtyard buildings glow under the setting sun, crowds thicken along the lanes, and the aroma of malt fills the air. Wu Jun, a visitor from Xinjiang, followed jazz music with his family through a vintage archway inscribed with the characters for Guangxingli, took a seat against the wall, and sampled fresh draft beer. Tian Yiming, head of the 1903MIX Guangxing Tavern, said Guangxingli preserves the memory of old Qingdao's street life, and that Qingdao Beer, as a signature taste of the city, now converges with the century-old architecture.

Boshan Road Square, adjacent to Guangxingli, has launched a beer-and-clam pairing, allowing visitors to order spicy stir-fried clams with chilled original draft beer, or a specialty drink served with beer in the cup and an open-top bowl of clams resting on top. Wang Heng, a tourist from Weifang, said the format makes it easy to savor authentic Qingdao flavors while strolling. At the intersection of Jiaozhou Road and Weixian Road, a creative scene for the 2026 beer festival, dubbed the "beer refueling station," features three simulated fuel pumps equipped with six silver beer taps, with screens displaying playful labels of "92" and "95." The station serves two core beverages, classic Qingdao original draft and Qingdao fresh beer, alongside fruit-flavored drinks including lychee, passion fruit, and grape, which visitors can customize with lemon, pineapple, or apple accents.

The Shili Food Alley on Jimo Road brings together local time-honored restaurants, intangible cultural heritage snack stalls, regional specialty shops, and creative fusion food trucks. In the evening, the alley bustles with crowds, as vendor calls, the clatter of woks, and the clink of glasses intermingle. Hu Shihong, manager of the time-honored local restaurant Zhongyuan Haiyun, said customer traffic during the beer festival has approached levels seen during the 2025 National Day holiday. The pairing of old-street cuisine with mellow beer has brought a lively, festive atmosphere to the century-old lanes.