Tonight Mix Club in Kundu will host four of Kunming's hardest working DJs and will be giving away free beer from 9:30 to 11:30. DJs Kris, Martin, Shonny and Christian are scheduled to provide musical entertainment at Mix, which is located on the south end of the Kundu compound, near the Guofang Lu entrance. Don't be surprised if the bar is busy – it will be offering cocktails (gin/rum/vodka/whiskey + mixer) all night for 15 yuan.
Saturday: Dance performance at TCG Nordica
TCG Nordica will be hosting a dance performance featuring Chinese and American dancers and covering different genres including hiphop, jazz, modern and traditional. The performance begins at 8:00, entry is 10 yuan.
Saturday: Matu's Birthday Party at The Hump Bar
Local musician and man-about-town Matu will be celebrating his birthday at The Hump Bar on Saturday night, playing with his mates in the Tribal Moons and DJing with fellow Moonster DJ Make afterward. Festivities kick off at ten, entry is free.
Editor's note: Due to a mistake on the flyer for tonight's Mix Club party, this post originally stated that cocktails were "all-you-can-drink for 15 yuan". We have been contacted by the organizer, who regrets any misunderstanding he may have caused among GoKunming readers.
Norwegian jazz trio Excess Luggage is in Kunming for two shows this week. Consisting of Steinar Nickelsen on organ, Vigleik Storaas on piano and Håkon Mjåset-Johansen on drums, the trio's trip to perform in Kunming is sponsored by the Norwegian embassy in Beijing.
The unorthodox trio's website features a few sample mp3s and explains the reasoning behind the piano/organ combo and the band's name:
"We thought we should start a band to fight the airlines [sic] strict luggage policy, and found that a Hammond B-3, grand piano and drum kit would be the perfect solution."
As diverse as Kunming's music scene is, it is rather lacking in terms of jazz. Jazz aficionados have two chances to see one of Norway's more accomplished young jazz acts this week. Tonight at Speakeasy Bar the band will play a free show beginning at 10:30 and Saturday night they will take the stage at TC/G Nordica at 8:00, admission for the Nordica show is 30 yuan.
UPDATE: We have been notified (7.50pm) by Speakeasy management that the Thursday night show has been cancelled.
"We thought we should start a band to fight the airlines [sic] strict luggage policy, and found that a Hammond B-3, grand piano and drum kit would be the perfect solution."
As diverse as Kunming's music scene is, it is rather lacking in terms of jazz. Jazz aficionados have two chances to see one of Norway's more accomplished young jazz acts this week. Tonight at Speakeasy Bar the band will play a free show beginning at 10:30 and Saturday night they will take the stage at TC/G Nordica at 8:00, admission for the Nordica show is 30 yuan.
UPDATE: We have been notified (7.50pm) by Speakeasy management that the Thursday night show has been cancelled.
This weekend there will plenty to do in Kunming to stave off the cold weather - a Thai masquerade party, Latin carnival night, Scandinavian jazz and the coronation of England or South Africa as Rugby World Cup champion are a few of the events going on around town in the next 48 hours:
Masquerade party and Thai buffet at Moonlight Corner
Several new restaurants featuring authentic cuisines from beyond the Middle Kingdom have opened in the last year, a trend that has made dining options in Kunming much more diverse than before. One of the more notable but-lesser known newcomers to the Kunming dining scene is Moonlight Corner, a Thai restaurant featuring Thai management, Thai chefs and fresh imported Thai ingredients. Its location on a hill in the Expo Gardens boasts one of the best views of the Kunming skyline to be found anywhere in the city.
Tonight Moonlight Corner will celebrate its first birthday with a masquerade party (they'll provide the masks) and Thai buffet plus games, music and a costume contest. The buffet begins at six and costs 168 yuan, rsvp at 5013125.
Latin Carnival Night at The Hump Bar
The Hump Bar at Jinma Biji Fang will host a Latin Carnival party Saturday night featuring live Brazilian music and plenty of dancing - one of the better ways to fend off the cold this weekend. Free salsa, meringue and samba lessons will be offered beginning at 9 pm and caipirinha and piña colada drink specials will be on offer all night. Admission to the party in the Hump Bar - located on the first floor beneath the Hump Guesthouse - is free.
Live Jazz with GENE at TCG Nordica
An alternative to Kunming's steady diet of punk, metal and post rock, Scandinavian gallery TCG Nordica will host the jazz group GENE on Saturday night for an 8 pm concert for 30 yuan.
Rugby World Cup championship match at Chapter One
This weekend the Rugby World Cup wraps up, with the France-Argentina consolation match to be shown live at Chapter One Saturday at 3 am (note to the temporally challenged: that's late-night tonight). The championship match between England and South Africa will be shown Sunday at 3 am. As with the last two weekends, BeerLao will be on special for 10 yuan/bottle from the start of each match until the first points scored.
Masquerade party and Thai buffet at Moonlight Corner
Several new restaurants featuring authentic cuisines from beyond the Middle Kingdom have opened in the last year, a trend that has made dining options in Kunming much more diverse than before. One of the more notable but-lesser known newcomers to the Kunming dining scene is Moonlight Corner, a Thai restaurant featuring Thai management, Thai chefs and fresh imported Thai ingredients. Its location on a hill in the Expo Gardens boasts one of the best views of the Kunming skyline to be found anywhere in the city.
Tonight Moonlight Corner will celebrate its first birthday with a masquerade party (they'll provide the masks) and Thai buffet plus games, music and a costume contest. The buffet begins at six and costs 168 yuan, rsvp at 5013125.
Latin Carnival Night at The Hump Bar
The Hump Bar at Jinma Biji Fang will host a Latin Carnival party Saturday night featuring live Brazilian music and plenty of dancing - one of the better ways to fend off the cold this weekend. Free salsa, meringue and samba lessons will be offered beginning at 9 pm and caipirinha and piña colada drink specials will be on offer all night. Admission to the party in the Hump Bar - located on the first floor beneath the Hump Guesthouse - is free.
Live Jazz with GENE at TCG Nordica
An alternative to Kunming's steady diet of punk, metal and post rock, Scandinavian gallery TCG Nordica will host the jazz group GENE on Saturday night for an 8 pm concert for 30 yuan.
Rugby World Cup championship match at Chapter One
This weekend the Rugby World Cup wraps up, with the France-Argentina consolation match to be shown live at Chapter One Saturday at 3 am (note to the temporally challenged: that's late-night tonight). The championship match between England and South Africa will be shown Sunday at 3 am. As with the last two weekends, BeerLao will be on special for 10 yuan/bottle from the start of each match until the first points scored.
