Following the success of last year’s street fair, this year’s Best of British Festival is moving to a literally more ritzy location: the garden of the Ritz-Carlton Beijing.
“We really wanted to take things up a level this year,” organizer AJ Donnelly told beijingkids, “which is why we went for the Ritz-Carlton.”
We asked him to tell us more about the festival.
“It’s basically a way for small Brit-linked businesses to connect with a wider market and highlight the success they’ve had in China, because honestly it’s very difficult for them to get support and stand out by themselves. So Best of British provides a platform for them to do that by offering ‘strength in numbers’. The fact that it’s a family day with events for everyone just means we are able to reach even more people.”
Among the family-friendly attractions are cupcake decorating, a calligraphy workshop, face painting, and a Shaolin kung fu workshop. Vendors will be offering a range of goods from jewelry to plush toys to tea caddies. Refreshments include bangers and mash (British sausages and mashed potatoes), cider for the grown-ups, and of course fish and chips. And it’s all for a good cause.
“All four charities we have at the event are British-linked,” Donnelly told us: “the British Club of Beijing, MCF, Roots and Shoots, and Roundabout.”
Donnelly emphasizes that the event is for everybody, not just Brits.
“Let’s show Beijing that Britain is more than just Boris and Brexit!” he says.
Photos: courtesy of event organizers
