Thirty-something moms push strollers through crowds of colored-hair, tattooed 20-somethings. Dads in jeans and T-shirts chill out with beer in hand while kids sip cola while playing on their skateboards. Everyone cheers as loudly as the hard-core metal fans.
This is the scene set to play out when Chinese music fans rock out at Beijing's regular outdoor music festivals during the upcoming holidays.
Arguably, the two Chinese music festivals most responsible for transforming the Chinese rock music scene over the past decade are Midi and Modern Sky.
Both are more than 10 years old and feature A-list names from various music genres, including alternative rock, hip-hop, folk and punk rock.
"The difference between the two is that Midi offers more rock and roll, while Modern Sky is more trendy and unconventional," says Shen Lihui, CEO of Modern Sky. "But whatever the difference, people are in for a musical treat for the holidays."
When it began 10 years ago, Modern Sky was at the heart of China's underground music scene. The independent music label has released more than 50 definitive Chinese underground pop-punk, electronic and indie albums by bands such as New Pants, Supermarket and Hopscotch.
Last year, the record label celebrated its 10th anniversary with the Modern Sky Music Festival, featuring a roster of label veterans, as well as headliners such as the New York rock band Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs.
This year, the Beijing-based Modern Sky will hold its second annual Modern Sky Festival from Sept 30 to Oct 2 at Beijing's Haidian Park.
Performances will be held on two band stages and one DJ stage, and the artist line-up includes all the singers and bands under the label, as well as long-not-seen Chinese rockers Zhang Chu and He Yong.
"Our sensibilities as producers," says Shen, "has always been to include in the festival a lot of different elements that we're passionate about."
"We invite prominent figures in Chinese rock history, such as Zhang Chu and He Yong as well as bands such as New Pants and Carsick Cars that cater to young fans."
This year's edition will also have some special sections, such as four bands from Shanghai who will take the music carnival till midnight.
Shen, who set up the band Sober in 1987, ventured into making the record company simply out of self-interest. "I found it hard to find a music company that would make us an album, so I thought why not create a music company of our own."
Just like when he started Modern Sky, which was ahead of its time, Shen believes in living in the future. "New and creative music elements are what have kept Modern Sky going for 10 years," he says.
The original plan was to have Lou Reed and Bright Eyes as possible headliners. However, there will be no foreign acts at this year's Modern Sky Festival.
While Shen says that it is "regrettable" that these international performers could not attend, he adds that "for the young Modern Sky Festival, the important thing is continuation and growth."
Another much anticipated extravaganza this October is the famed Midi Music Festival, another 10-year-old annual music festival featuring the most prestigious Chinese rockers, such as Chinese rock godfather Cui Jian and mainstay rock band Tang Dynasty.
It began in 2000 as a rock festival with taste - one that made a point of bringing together the big Chinese rock acts, at the foot of Fragrant Hill.
