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Beijing's biggest outdoor music festival celebrates its annual theme with pop, indie rock, and folk across multiple outdoor stages in a park in the city's north.
The Strawberry Music Festival is one of China's largest and most popular outdoor music festivals, produced by Modern Sky Records — the Beijing-based independent label that has run the event since 2009. The 2026 edition carries the theme 'On! Holiday!' and runs across Beijing and several other Chinese cities including Changsha and Chengdu during the Labour Day holiday period (1–4 May). The Beijing edition takes place in a park in the city's north; the exact venue varies by year — Chaoyang Park has hosted in recent editions.
The lineup is overwhelmingly Chinese: Strawberry is the domestic market's festival, with local indie, pop, folk, and alternative bands making up 90% of the bill. International acts occasionally appear but are not the draw. For a visitor who wants to see China's current independent music scene rather than Western imports, Strawberry is the correct event. The atmosphere is social and visual: the festival draws a young, creative Beijing crowd who treat it as much as a fashion event as a music event. Tickets are affordable by any comparison. The May holiday period in Beijing means hotel prices increase and popular tourist sites are crowded: plan accommodation around this.
Party hostels within reach of 's main celebrations. Ranked by guest rating.
Day-by-day breakdown
Strawberry runs four stages simultaneously from noon to 10pm. The main stage headliners are the evening draw; the smaller stages in the afternoon feature newer and more experimental acts. Food stalls across the site sell Chinese street food at park prices: skewers (chuanr) CNY 5–15 each, jianbing (savoury crepe) CNY 15–20. Beer on site: CNY 25–35 (approximately £2.70–£3.75).
The Forbidden City (Palace Museum) requires advance ticket booking at dpm.org.cn — walk-in tickets are no longer available. Book two to three weeks ahead for the Labour Day period; it sells out. The Great Wall at Mutianyu (90 minutes from the centre) is the right section for international visitors: better preserved, fewer crowds than Badaling. Tiananmen Square is free and does not require a ticket.
Sanlitun in Chaoyang district is Beijing's international bar and restaurant strip: craft beer bars, rooftop terraces, and international food from noon to 3am. Gulou (Drum Tower area) in Dongcheng is the local creative-class alternative: hutong alleyway bars, live music in basement venues, and the Jingzun Peking Duck restaurant for CNY 150–200 per person.
Bus 916 from Dongzhimen bus terminal to Huairou, then local bus or taxi to Mutianyu: total journey 90 minutes each way. Cable car up: CNY 100 return. The wall section is restored and walkable for about 2km with good views. Return transport to Beijing runs until early evening. Full day budget including transport: CNY 300–400 (approximately £32–£43).
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Getting to Strawberry Music Festival from Shanghai