Talking Pints: Peter Hook, Haze Opening, Migas Turns One and Wasabi Beach Party

A second strong weekend for nightlife coming up, with Peter Hook at Tango, Haze’s opening party, Migas’ and 12SQM’s respective anniversary parties, DJ Sodeyama at Lantern, German techno at School and Wasabi Sound’s Bikini Beach Party all the way over at Dongjiang Bay near Tianjin! Read on for all the details.

First off, Friday (September 2) is Migas’ first anniversary. Yes, the bar/restaurant with the most crowded terrace in town has made it through 365 days of Spanish cuisine, visits from top chefs, Funk Fever parties, Moonlighting parties, the Beijinger’s Ninth Anniversary Party, awards parties and one crazy summer when it just occasionally seemed the bar might be overrun by feral frat boys on the lookout for inebriated young women. The party starts on Friday night around 10pm, with free entry and lots of fun in store. No doubt, it will be ridiculously packed, so if you’re at all claustrophobic you might be safer revisiting some of the highlights of Migas’ first year in our photo galleries.

Another anniversary party is the fourth birthday of 12SQM over on Nanluogu Xiang. There'll be RMB 20 deals on Australian beers and mixed drinks all day. Owner Joseph Kornides is reportedly edging a little closer to selling up, so this may be a farewell of sorts. Head over and wish him well with a beer or six.

Haze, the long-awaited new venue from the former White Rabbit mob, has its big opening party on Friday night (September 2), with DJs playing from around 10pm. For full details and a sneak preview of what to expect from Haze, check out our post here. The party will, of course, continue on Saturday night (September 3).

Also on Friday, Lantern follows up last week's successful resurrection by welcoming long-time friend-of-Acupuncture DJ Sodeyama over from Japan. Free entry. Lantern goes on into Saturday with Leslie and QQ on the decks.

Next up, fans of Joy Division, New Order and basically anything musical that came out of Manchester will be heading over to Tango to witness Peter Hook’s DJ set there on Saturday night (September 3). The night starts at 9pm, and tickets are RMB 80 in advance (buy them here) and RMB 120 on the door. See what Hook had to say about Vics (yes, the Beijing club), Manchester football rivalry, Formula 1 and the late, great Ian Curtis in our interview. And, to get you in the mood, here’s a classic Joy Division video.

The people over at Great Leap are having a hard time of it, with some confusion over their opening times. For the record, they are open 3pm until midnight from Tuesday to Saturday, and 3pm to 8pm on Sunday. Got that? Good. Now shut up and like that beer. At least, I think that’s how lovable owner Carl Setzer would put it.

Competition time! German techno label Minimalanders are in town this weekend, with DJs Karlo Kolumna and Johann Vogel playing at School on Friday night (September 2). Support DJs will be on from 10pm and tickets are RMB 30, but we’ve got three tickets to give away – to win, tell us: Which Beijing street is School located on? Email answers to win@thebeijinger.com.

Finally, Kolumna and Vogel are among the headliners at Wasabi Sound’s Dongjiang Bay Bikini Beach Party on Saturday night (September 3). The event takes place on a man-made beach in Tianjin, so if you’re after a weekend away, get on one of the organized buses that will ship you there and back. Call 138 1078 5362 or 158 1002 2270 for information on where to get tickets - presale tickets including round-trip bus transport will cost you RMB 300, though expect to pay more if you show up on the day hoping to hop on a bus. Buses leave Chaoyang Park South Gate at 10am and noon, with another bus leaving from the east gate of Huaqing Jiayuan in Wudaokou at 10am. You’ll be in good company, with the Wasabi Sound crew bringing some of Beijing’s best local DJ talent (including Mickey Zhang, ELVIS.T, Eddie Lv and Ouyang) along for the ride. Let’s face it, you’re not going to get many more chances to wear your bikini or Wonderbro this summer, are you?