The Midi Festival, while introducing new faces, also retains the presence of such veterans as Xie Tianxiao. [Provided to China Daily]

The Midi Music Festival - the country's oldest outdoor music festival - returns to its birthplace, Beijing, with a four-day feast of rock, folk, and electronic music.

"We are glad to be back with even more passion, fun and, above all, good music," says Zhang Fan, the founder of the 12-year-old festival.

Last year, the festival moved to Zhenjiang, in East China's Jiangsu province. Despite that small town's limited exposure to rock 'n' roll, thousands gathered to watch performances by rock veterans including Cui Jian, the acclaimed "father of Chinese rock".

This year, more than 100 bands will play at the festival, from young gigs, such as Carsick Cars, Brain Failure, Twisted Machine and AK 47, to well-established rock bands, such as Tang Dynasty, and rockers, such as He Yong and Xie Tianxiao.

Besides, 18 bands from foreign countries will participate, including the English punk group Sham 69 and French rock singer and guitarist Izia.

"We have set up four stages for these artists to perform," Zhang says of the festival that will begin this Saturday at Haidian Park.

Starting as a graduation performance of the Midi Music School, the festival has become the most influential outdoor music festival in China.

"It has not only been introducing fresh faces to the rock scene but also maintaining the presence of such veterans as Cui Jian, Xie Tianxiao and rock bands such as AK 47 and Brain Failure," Zhang says.

"Ten years ago, a live Midi show in Beijing would attract at best a crowd of 50 or so," Zhang says. But now, more than 30,000 people throng to the festival every day.

While the low ticket price of 80 yuan ($11.70) a day helps draw in the crowds, "it's (also) much more of a lifestyle choice to go to a festival now", Zhang says.

"Youngsters no longer buy CDs, but they do like to see bands live. A festival gives them a place to share their common interests," Zhang says.

As one of the first major music events of the year, the Midi Music Festival is a bellwether event for the entire outdoor music festival industry.

"There is a huge potential market for live music," says Li Dai, who successfully organized last year's first Zebra Music Festival in Chengdu, Sichuan province. The former manager of MTV China will hold the festival this year too and believes such festivals are crucial to the development of the mainland music industry.

The Zebra festival, with its greater focus on pop rather than rock 'n' roll, attracted 150,000 people from all over the country and Li is confident of an equally enthusiastic response this year.

At last year's festival, besides rock bands active at Beijing's live house venues such as SUBS, New Pants and Hedgehog, festival goers also got to see mainstream singers such as Taiwan pop group S.H.E, pop-rock singer Wang Feng and Super Girl winner Liu Liyang. This year, fans will get to see more pop singers such as Taiwan's Chang Chen-yue and the pop group Sodagreen, besides the mainland's Zhang Jie and Tan Weiwei.

Li says that while the festival did not turn a profit last year, it was judged a big success by critics and fans alike. "It takes time to build up a good music festival, good money, cooperation with the local government and the determination to keep going despite losing money," she says.

Li points out that today's Chinese youngsters are open-minded and curious about new things. "As long as we keep introducing fresh ideas, people will participate and help the mainland music industry flourish," Li says.

Li Xin, a columnist of Sina.com's rock channel, says, "Music festivals are a good way to promote the local live music scene and help singers meet ends."

However, he also points out that not all festivals have been lucky owing to the organizers' lack of experience and lack of funds.

Those that survived established a clear aesthetic for the targeted fans or marketed themselves as vacation destinations.

"What people need now is more than just a music festival," says Lu Zhongqiang, founder of Thirteen Months, which held music festivals in Qingdao, Chongqing and Xiamen last year. "Music festivals are becoming (part of) mainstream culture. The competition is not as important now as singers and bands get to take the stage by turns."

To make the festivals more popular, the music genres will be expanded beyond rock and pop. For example, the Guitar Music Festival, to be held on May 15 and 16 at Haidian Park, will bring together nearly 100 guitar heroes from home and abroad. The Midi organizers are also considering an outdoor jazz festival in the summer.