A popular getaway in Beijing's suburbs is gearing up for the Christmas and New Year holiday. Gubei Water Town at the foot of the Great Wall is putting on quite a show this year, offering festive activities from traditional decorations to Christmas-themed drone performances.

One of the biggest attractions at Gubei is the traditional Christmas market. Decorated with bells and whistles, this little fair in the town's biggest square has a lot to offer.

Whether visitors are looking for gifts for family and friends or just want a glass of mulled wine, the market has something for everyone.

If the weather permits, visitors can even get to see hundreds of drones put on a spectacular display forming classic holiday images like Santa and his reindeer with the Great Wall in the background.

Visitors say it gives the popular water town a much different feel during this time of the year.

"We're lucky enough to see the snow, and it gives visitors that Christmassy feeling," one visitor told CGTN.

Foreigners who can't make the trip back home for Christmas because of the pandemic say the event gives them some form of consolation. One Italian family living in Tianjin told CGTN that they are "missing Christmas and here is feeling a bit like home."

The quaint water town on the outskirts of the Chinese capital is famous for its ancient structures and unique location. Many of its buildings are constructed in styles from the Ming Dynasty, about 400 to 500 years ago, or the later Qing Dynasty.

The nearby section of the Great Wall has more than a dozen watchtowers, where visitors can get an excellent view of Beijing. And it's all centered on Christmas in December.