北京的草莓音乐节

Rock n’ Roll, Alternative, Metal, Electronica - you name it! It’s all happening somewhere in Beijing. Right now, music lovers have the luxury of choosing between four major music festivals over the May Day holiday, where they get to rock out to live performances from the latest bands.

Music is in the air! This May 1st holiday is jam-packed with all types of music mania, and we’re at the one that has quickly become the crowd favorite: The Strawberry Music Festival!

Held at Tongzhou Canal Park, the 3-day Festival boasts a line-up of over 60 indie and alternative bands from around the world.

Strawberry has risen to the top of the list for the indie crowd, and is considered to have the largest variety of music. This year, the festival is being headlined by Blonde Redhead for the second year in a row. Other big headliners include Chinese legend XTX, Zhangchu, Carsick Cars, Caofang, Laura Jensen, and Hangai.

We had a chance to catch-up with Ilchi from Hangai, a Beijing-based rock band with a unique Mongolian sound.

Ilchi said, "In China, the music market is growing very fast. Now, many audiences come to the festival, and I think they can have a chance to hear more than TV and radio, they can hear many bands in the festival."

Three other May Holiday music festivals are competing with Strawberry for the attention of the capital’s music lovers - the Midi Festival, Ditan Fold Festival, and MMAX Chaoyang International Pop Music festival.

But with Strawberry entering its 4th year, it seems to be making a bigger splash each time around.

The festival is the brainchild of Modern Sky, a Chinese independent music label that’s secured the majority of hip Chinese bands under its name. The label is currently celebrating its 15th anniversary.

Not only does Strawberry harbor a broad range of genres, it also attracts the most international acts. An influx of bands from countries such as the US, the UK, Australia, Germany and France are stepping onto Chinese soil to deliver a taste of their live experience.

We spoke to New-York based retro rock group, Mystery Lights, about their first trip to China.

Mike Brandon, Mystery Lights lead vocalist, said, "We’re here for the festival; we’re here for these people! That’s what we’re here for. Modern Sky brought us out to do the festival."

"The Chinese scene is absolutely enthusiastic, and they go nuts every show, they’re music enthusiasts, and it’s nuts, every single show is packed with kids who just want to have fun."

Performances take place on a total of 8 stages, each hosting different genres of music. Strawberry has the largest site of the four festivals and therefore gathers the largest crowds.

Walking through the crowd, you become immersed in a young energy, a mecca of expressive fashions and wacky hairstyles. Witnessing such creative spirit makes you realize that music is not just music to some people, it’s a way of life.

A festival-goer said, "My friends and I go to music festivals a lot. There are different styles of music on different stages. In this year’s line-up, I like Cao Fang and Hangai very much. And the canal park is a perfect setting for open-air festivals. I think the festival gets better each year."

The growing popularity of music festivals, such as the Strawberry, is reflecting the expansion of the Chinese music scene. More and more bands from around the world are coming to perform, making these festivals well-established, and more recognized on the international scene.