Qingdao Int'l Beer Festival opens with global cheers, festive celebrations

The 34th edition of the Qingdao International Beer Festival opened on Friday in the coastal city of Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, ushering in a 24-day extravaganza that will run until August 11.

The festival, themed "Qingdao Cheers with the World," has two venues in Qingdao West Coast New Area and Laoshan District. This year's event features over 2,200 varieties of beers from across the globe, offering a rich tapestry of flavors and brews for attendees to explore while promising a unique experience for both local and global guests.

Throughout its duration, the festival will hold seven major activity sectors, such as cultural and sports and collaborative exchanges in the area. Over 2,000 scheduled events, ranging from musical performances and artistic parades to sports competitions designed to entertain visitors, will be held.

To enhance the visitor experience, the festival also introduces new consumer scenarios and an array of tourism routes, ensuring that the joy of the festival extends beyond the beer itself and into the rich cultural and scenic offerings of Qingdao.

"The Qingdao Beer Festival is very good. I like it the most here. I love Qingdao, and I love Qingdao beer. Cheers!" said a tourist from Russia.

"The festival spans a vast area where we can sample a wide variety of beers from different countries, each with its unique flavor. I think this is fabulous. And having fun with friends. I think this is so great," said another tourist who came from the Netherlands.

Qingdao City also launched an innovative combination of the festival and beach camping, which has become a hit among visitors and is emerging as a new hot spot for consumption.

As one of the world's four major beer festivals, the Qingdao International Beer Festival has established itself as a magnet for beer enthusiasts and a catalyst for the local economy. The other three famous beer festivals are Germany's Oktoberfest, the Great American Beer Festival in the U.S., and the Toronto Beer Festival in Canada.

Qingdao Int'l Beer Festival opens with global cheers, festive celebrations

Russia said on Thursday that its forces had taken control of one more settlement in eastern Ukraine and hit various Ukrainian targets, while Ukraine reported harsh situations on the frontline over the past 24 hours.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said in a daily battle report that its troops hit various Ukrainian targets, including drone warehouse, ammunition depots and the energy infrastructure of military enterprises on the day, as its air defense system shut down several Ukrainian rockets and drones.

Meanwhile, the Russian army also repelled several attacks by the Ukrainian army in Kursk region in western Russia, hitting targets including armored vehicles and multiple rocket launchers, according to the report.

On the same day, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that as of Thursday afternoon, Ukrainian forces had engaged in over 100 battles with the Russian army in multiple directions.

The situations on the frontline remained harsh, with the most intense fighting especially in the directions of Pokrovsk and Kurahovo in eastern Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian report, adding that Ukrainian forces are still taking all necessary measures to prevent the Russian army from breaking through.

Russia claims hitting Ukrainian ammunition depot, Ukraine reports harsh situations on frontline