It is summertime, and I have family friends visiting from America: my aunty My (Mee), Uncle Nate and my best friend, Naomi Jenness. We have been spending the summer together in Beijing! Every summer in Beijing is hot, but this summer has seemed particularly boiling. Naomi and I needed a way to cool off and refresh. Luckily, the new water park was built in Chaoyang Park, which is close to my house.

The newly built Beijing International Ocean Beach Carnival inside Chaoyang Park is the perfect solution to surviving a scorching summer. However, we were a little bit lost when we arrived at Chaoyang Park, unable to find the waterpark. Serendipitously, we wandered toward another new Chaoyang Park feature. We walked towards a white gate with words above it that read Pop Land, 泡泡玛特城市乐园 (Pàopào Mǎtè Chéngshì Lèyuán). I figured it had to be a world about Pop Mart. My friend, Naomi, is a Pop Mart lover! So, we took a little detour to explore Pop Land before heading to the water park where tickets were RMB 180 for one adult, and RMB 150 for a child.

Inside Pop Land, Naomi was clearly having the time of her life. Pop Land was full of bright colors and funky creatures. There were many places to stop and take a photo, and there were loads of activities. For example, you could buy tickets to play the basketball game. The main prize was a large Pucky balloon, and the consolation prize was a small pocket mirror. There were many other carnival games that you could play and try your luck at to win prizes.

We also got a free Pop Land passport, which you can use to collect stamps at each station. Naomi enjoyed collecting the stamps because it was a fun scavenger hunt. There was a walk-through display inside a large mansion that she really enjoyed; it was a little Pop Mart show. It was themed, I think, on Puckies and Labubus. By the time we finished walking through the mansion, it was past lunchtime. So, we got some food inside Pop Land. It was not the best, and I didn’t enjoy it because the food seemed very bland and was very expensive, and I believe that Naomi did not enjoy it either. We ordered fish and chips, Caesar salad and pizza, and potato fries. I suggest you eat before you arrive here.

After we visited Pop Land, we headed for our initial goal: the waterpark. Tickets for the Beijing International Ocean Beach Carnival 阿派朗创造力星球 were RMB 300 for both an adult and a child. At the gate, Naomi and I were given bands for our wrists as our entrance ticket.

The first thing we saw after we entered the waterpark was a large pit of sand covered with huge umbrellas, and beanbags were spread across the pit. It was a sandy beach in the middle of the city!  There was a nice playground with nets, an AC tower, a room full of AC and slides. Inside that playground, there were two tablets built into wall; these tablets were AI art generators, and they were activated by your wristbands. Next, we saw what we had been looking for: the water.

There were three water sections. At the first one, there were many loopy doop slides. Naomi and I went on these slides many times, and our stomachs flipped as we slid around the slides. There were also many little water sprayers, which you could aim at people and spray them. I had fun waiting underneath a large bucket of water to be dropped and poured all over me.

Next, Naomi and I went over to the other side of the pool. There were two long slides that stretched across most of the pool. For this water part, you were obliged to sit on a donut ring floaty to go down the slides.

There was also a big pool with no slides; it was the typical pool for swimming in. The park also had a large net people could walk on top of. Later, Naomi and I found an empty bundle of fun. It was one of those chairs that you could spin in. We would spin around and then try to chase the other person. By the time we were finished playing, it was pretty much time to go home.

All in all, it was a fun, but tiring, day at Chaoyang Park. Now, here are some tips:

According to my research, this waterpark will only be open this summer from Jun 27 to Aug 31, 2025.  It is located inside Chaoyang Park, Apailang Creativity Planet.

1. Bring sunscreen
2. Bring spare clothes
3. Bring a towel (We didn’t)
4. Have fun

Find it:
Pop Land 泡泡玛特城市乐园
Bldg 40, 1 Chaoyang Gongyuan Nanlu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区朝阳公园南路1号40幢

Find it:
Beijing International Ocean Beach Carnival
阿派朗创造力星球朝阳公园店
Apailang Creativity Planet, East No. 5 Gate, Chaoyang Park, Chaoyang District

Images: Clark Yap