Since it began as an offshoot of the famous Liverpool nightclub Cream 21 years ago, Creamfields has been an institution of the British summer festival season. 

Now, it’s surpassed its origins and expanded beyond the borders of its native city to go global, as emphasized by this year’s Chinese tour, which included a stop in the capital Beijing.

When the festival opened at the Topwin Golf and Country Club on May 12, it seemed that it didn’t just arrive from the UK, it brought the weather too, as the event was covered by clouds almost from the start. 

As the blistering bass of the hardstyle and dubstep opening acts Party Favor and Slander thrilled the crowd, the grey skies darkened until, finally, during W&W’s set, the heavens opened and a storm hit. Rain, lightning and gusts of wind pulverized the site.

It was enough to close the event early but not enough to dampen the spirits of the audience, who returned on the second day ready to continue partying. 

On May 13, there was barely a cloud in the sky and, besides for seemingly needing a lot more water breaks, the crowd loved it and spent the whole show singing and dancing along to the acts.

Creamfields Beijing is a lot smaller than its British counterpart with only a fraction of the performers, but there was no skimping on talent. Even if they all didn’t get a chance to perform, the two-day line up featured Above & Beyond, Sigma, Martin Garrix, Alan Walker and Diplo (among many others), which is an incredible mix by any standard. 

There’s also only one stage, which made things more intimate and centralized. Instead of people wandering around trying to find a DJ they liked, everyone was in one place, creating a fantastic party atmosphere – something that Sigma and Alan Walker, two of the acts that I got a chance to speak to, were keen to point out.

Walker, in particular, received an incredible ovation. When he stood on the podium at the end of his set, waved the Chinese flag in the air, introduced himself and said thank you in Mandarin, the crowd went crazy. 

He's already a beloved figure in China thanks to his status as a gamer, but the reaction to his one hour set was enough to suggest that the 20-year-old could go on to become the country's most popular DJ.

Even though China’s dance music scene is exploding right now, it has yet to find its own true identity. 

The amount of authentic and replica designer brands on display from the attendees is reminiscent of Moscow nightclubs in the mid-90s and the gaudy accessories could have been taken directly from the closet of Y2K-era candy ravers – maybe, of course, besides for Peppa Pig, who is on everything from t-shirts to flags to necklaces – while the music is so varied that drum ’n’ bass flows directly into house, into techno, into mash-ups of modern chart hits, classic rock and 80s synthpop. 

The only uniting feature of all the sets is the slavish devotion to the drop, a holdover from the EDM scene that is currently thriving in the US. 

One thing that unfortunately stands out is that, among the international performers, there are no Chinese DJs, but this is sure to change in the next few years as domestic talent develops in clubs all across the country.

There’s no confirmation of a Creamfields Beijing 2019 yet, but the vibe up front and backstage is one of success, and 12 months to tweak, refine and expand the show will no doubt lead to something even better. I already can’t wait.