Organized by Beijing Midi School of Music, the Shenzhen New Year’s Midi Festival will take place Dec. 31-Jan. 1 at the Shenzhen Universiade Center in Longgang District.

    On site there will be four stages, including Tang, Song, Kid’s Midi and the small stage where nearly 100 art groups from around the world will put on the biggest live rock music event in South China to celebrate the New Year.

    Highlighted bands include U.S. postrock band Arms and Sleepers, Spanish melodic death metal band Rise to Fall, Japanese hardcore band As Alliance, French band Scare the Children and Dutch electronic band Fara.

    Arms and Sleepers is an ambient/trip-hop duo consisting of Max Lewis and Mirza Ramic. The band was formed in 2006 and has since released a handful of albums and EPs, including “Bliss Was It in That Dawn to Be Alive,” an EP released in 2006; “Black Paris 86,” an album released in 2007; and “Matador,” which was released in November 2009. The band gives a cinematic experience when performing live, backing their music up with synchronized visuals created by Dado Ramadani.

    Fara is a four-piece Dutch group based in The Hague, performing electronic indie music. Combining the energy of a live band with the power of synthesizers, they create a high-energy electronic set.

    The four friends and former classmates started as all-guitar indie band Atlantic Attraction in 2011. Fara released their first song “Looking for Answers” in August 2015. This is a revision of one of the first songs the group ever wrote, which stands model for the transition the group made over the past years.

    The Midi Festival is among China’s largest rock music festivals. Since its inauguration in 1997, it has been held almost each year in Beijing during the May Day holiday (May 1-3). The festival is held annually in three Chinese cities: Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. The artists represent the genres of rock and electro. The festival regularly features environmental themes as their slogan, such as raising awareness for animals threatened with extinction and PM2.5 rates for their 2012 festivals.

    The slogan for this year’s festival will be “No Drugs, We Rock.” Midi will always proclaim the optimistic, healthy and friendly ways of lifestyles, get close to music and listen to the inner melody of the heart.

    Time: Dec. 31, 3:30-11 p.m.; Jan. 1, 1:30-9:20 p.m.

    Tickets: 150-180 yuan per day, 260-320 yuan (2-day package)

    Reservations: 400-610-3721

    Venue: Shenzhen Universiade Center, 3001 Longxiang Boulevard, Longgang District (龙岗区龙翔大道3001号深圳龙岗大运中心)

    Metro: Longgang Line, Universiade Station (大运站), Exit C(SD News)