China-Central and Eastern European Food & Music Fest, Coming Oct 20-22

Katie Coy | Oct 16, 2023 10:30 am | Add a comment | 681 reads

We’re excited to announce that the China-Central and Eastern European Food & Music Fest is coming to Beijing next weekend, Oct 20-22! This will be the third edition of the fest, which focuses on promoting cultural and artistic exchanges between China and Central and Eastern European countries.

This year’s fest will be taking place in Chaoyang Park 08 Square and we have an amazing lineup of entertainment, art, culture and, of course, some delicious food from a range of Central and Eastern European countries. It promises to be a weekend full of fun, and the best news is it’s completely free! Yes, you don’t need to buy a ticket for the fest, however, you do need to register beforehand, which you can do by scanning the QR code below.

We are super proud of the diverse array of entertainment we’ve prepared for the fest, with a variety of acts coming from nine Central and Eastern European countries, namely Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, plus some Chinese entertainment too. So let’s take a look at just what we have in store!

Balkanopolis

This Serbian band combines jazz, orchestral, rock, pop and native Balkan music elements using traditional Serbian instruments. The band is headed by lead singer Slobodan Trkulja, who you might recognize from his performance at the 2023 CCTV Spring Festival Gala where he sang the Serbian folk song "That Far Away Place" accompanied by world-renowned pianist Lang Lang and violinist Lu Siqing.

A-Play

A-Play combines modern music with classic Chinese music and traditional Chinese instruments. A music project initiated by Chinese composer Zhu Jintai, the band is composed of young folk music performers selected from all over China.

Tsvetnitsa

A Bulgarian folk song and dance group, Tsvetnitsa was founded 50 years ago and promotes traditional Bulgarian culture through dance performances. At the festival they will perform in national costume and introduce the audience to the complexity of Bulgarian folk music.

Other Performers

Lupus Dacus, a Romanian world music group; Wild Strings Trio, a Slovenian and Slovakian pure jazz trio; Peiros, a Greek folk song and dance group; Croatian soul singer Tea, who lives in Beijing, and her band; Mario Zovko, a Bosnian musician; the Romanian Red Band (R3D), a pop and electronic music group; and finally teachers and students from the Beijing Opera Art Vocational College, who will perform local folk dances.

A big part of the festival will also be a cultural market with exhibitions, cultural heritage experiences, art, tourism information and a variety of other activities. Along with the cultural market, there will also be a food market with a variety of food from Central and Eastern European countries. Think Greek cuisine, Czech pilsner, Hungarian sausage, Croatian wine and more!

The China-Central and Eastern European Food & Music Fest will be taking place at 08 Square, Chaoyang Park from Oct 20-22. Entry is free but registration is required. Scan the QR code in the poster above to register.

A note on the "China-CEEC Culture & Arts Carnival"

In order to promote the "Belt and Road" initiative and the China-CEEC cultural exchange mechanism, the 3rd "China-CEEC Culture & Arts Carnival" aims to foster cultural and artistic collaboration and communication between China and Central Eastern European countries, and to showcase Beijing's role as an international and national hub of culture and tourism. The "China-CEEC Culture & Arts Carnival" has been successfully held for two sessions since 2017, with the participation of 32 art groups and nearly 250 foreign artists from 12 countries, and 36 artistic performances and cultural exhibitions have been held, building an important platform for Beijing's cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation with other countries.

The carnival’s advisor is Cooperation Between China and CEEC, the hosts are Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, Chaoyang District People's Government of Beijing Municipality, the organizers are Beijing Overseas Cultural Exchange Center and Chaoyang District Bureau of Culture and Tourism of Beijing Municipality. This carnival has been included in the 2023 Liangma River International Arts Festival.