Thousands of Pizza Lovers Pour Into Zhongguancun for Day One of the 2018 Beijing Pizza Festival

Hordes of ravenous pizza-lovers invaded the Zhongguancun Software Park today for the first day of the 2018 Beijing Pizza Festival, flowing in a steady stream flowed from the nearby Xi'erqi (西二旗) station and in taxis all day, practically ready to chomp their arms off in anticipation of all the delicious food that lay behind the entry gate. 

Early on, Tube Station pizza tossers gave the crowd a taste of things to come in their show on the mainstage, flipping and spinning bases of dough high into the air of the event space which coincidentally resembled a tasty Italian pie itself. 

By 11am, when belly dance duo Inko Tribal took to the stage, the crowd was already filling up the space, with young and old rubbing shoulders and working their way through the dozens of food options on offer. Indeed, the turnout was considerably larger than those unfamiliar with Zhongguancun expected, and many pizza places ran out of their full days supply after lunch; necessitating a speedy and smooth restocking.

With our bilingual hosts in charge, the entertainment came thick and fast. Chased by a giant kiwi, Gung Ho Pizzamazing Race obstacle course competitors put their coordination skills to the test, before ceding the stage to the tasty tunes and possibly the worlds largest hat from musical duo Royal Band. If the sight of the vintage Vespas wasn't enough to assure us that we were taking a trip back to the '50s, swing extraordinaires Balboa Swing, with the dazzling floor routine to the unforgettable "Un Bacio a Mezzanotte" took care of that, backed up by crooners The Italian Way. 

Beers were poured, pizzas were flung into the air, and we generally stuffed ourselves silly with every kind of cheesy, doughy, spicy, baozi-y, pepperoni-y, Americany, Italiany, and Chinesey pie known to man or beast. By the time the sun had sunk behind the horizon, Beijing's greatest pizza festival had transformed into a heaving dancefloor, guided all the while by the confident hands of DJ Kipp. 

Scroll on to see more of our favorite moments from the day:

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Photos: PLUS