Holiday music

A singer is performing at the 2014 Straberry Music Festival in Beijing on May 3. (Photo: China News Service)

The seven-day-long National Day holiday starts in two days, a welcome break from work that everyone has been looking forward to. Yet, many people also end up fretting about what to do during this time. Although scenic places are most people's first thought, these tend to get crowded when more than 1 billion people all go on vacation at the same time.

For those who still not sure what to do with themselves over the holiday period, attending one or more of the many musical events being held during the holiday break may be a great choice.

Almost every major city in China holds some sort of music festival. No matter which city you may live in or are flying to, a musical feast is bound to be waiting for you.

Shanghai Changjiang Midi Festival

Midi is one of the most widely-known event among the many festivals held in Beijing. For the past 10 years, it has developed into a major festival for music lovers and has been regarded as the "Woodstock Rock Festival" of China. Every year, famed bands from China and the world come to Midi, as do thousands of music lovers.

This October, Midi has invited foreign bands Fear Factory, Therion and singer Wayne Static from Static-X, and Chinese bands Second Hand Rose, Escape Plan, Tong Young and rock singer Xie Tianxiao as its main venues.

If you want to see what Chinese rock'n'roll is all about, Midi is a festival that you shouldn't miss.

Time: Noon, October 1-3

Venue: Sanjiagang Waterfront Park, Pudong New District, Shanghai

Tickets: Single-day ticket 150 yuan ($25)/ Pre-sale single-day ticket 120 yuan

Three-day tickets 350 yuan/Pre-sale three-day tickets 300 yuan

Strawberry Music Festival 2014

The Strawberry Music Festival is another music event sponsored by the influential music festival organizer Modern Sky Festival. Differing from other festivals, Strawberry brings more variety such as featuring romantic music. This October, the Strawberry festival will be set up in two places, one in Tianjin, the other in Dali, Yunnan Province in Southwest China.

Yunnan is one of the most beautiful places in China and an area that lots of tourists yearn to visit. With its breathtaking scenery and unique culture of the local minority ethnic groups, it's the perfect place to enjoy an music outdoor in Yunnan.

Performers this year in Yunan include local bands Guarapo and Neuvile, folk singer Song Dongye and Taiwanese singer Crowd Lu.

Time: 13:30, October 2-3

Venue: Dali International Olympic Sports Center, Xiaguan Wanhua Road, Dali, Yunnan Province

Tickets: Single-day ticket 180 yuan/ pre-sale single day ticket 150 yuan

Two-day ticket 320 yuan/pre-sale two-day ticket 260 yuan

This month is also the first time the Strawberry Music Festival will come to Tianjin. Over 40 bands and singers of a variety of music genres will gather in the municipality for the festival, including retro vintage band New Pants featuring singer Zhang Qiang. Famed duo Shuimu Nianhua, whose songs have been very popular recently, and singer Zeng Yike are also bound to be some of the highlights at the festival.

Time: Noon, October 1-2

Venue: Bolonghu, Tianjin Future Science City

Tickets: Single-day ticket 150 yuan/ pre-sale single-day ticket 120

Two-day ticket 260 yuan/pre-sale two-day ticket 220 yuan