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To celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will hold lantern carnivals featuring a variety of entertainment programmes for public enjoyment. The carnivals will be held at Tung Chung Man Tung Road Park tomorrow (September 28), at Tai Po Waterfront Park on September 29 and at Victoria Park on September 30. Admission to all the carnivals is free.
The highlight of the lantern carnivals will be spectacular folk song, dance, instrumental and acrobatic performances by the Hunan Arts Troupe supported by the Office for Cultural Affairs with Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Regions, Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China. There will also be demonstrations of Hunan folk craft such as palm weaving, "nuo" masks, Tantou New Year woodprints and Xiangxi Miao painting by craft masters. Supported by the Department of Culture of Guangdong Province, demonstrations of Chinese folk craft such as clay sculpture and the making of red clay pots by Guangdong Chaozhou masters will also be featured.
The three lantern carnivals will have fascinating puppet shows including shadow, string, rod and hand puppetry, enabling carnival-goers to enjoy these precious Chinese traditional performing arts.
Decorated with beautiful lanterns, the three venues are open to the public from today (September 27) to October 2. The Victoria Park carnival showcases several spectacular lantern displays such as the "Lantern Wonderland" organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. The Hong Kong Heritage Museum is also presenting a traditional hand-made mega-size lantern in the shape of a lotus dragon soaring and dancing in the air. The dragon's head is styled after the rolling dragon of Haifeng and Lufeng in southern China, and the body is made up of more than 30 lotus lanterns.
Festive lanterns with the theme of "Beauty of Tradition" featuring farm life and folk toys are on display at the Tung Chung Man Tung Road Park, while at Tai Po Waterfront Park, the lantern installations of "Legend Wonderland" take visitors on a lively journey embracing colourful lanterns originating from renowned Eastern and Western legends.
Details of the carnivals are as follows:
1. New Territories West Mid-Autumn Lantern
Carnival
September 28 (Friday), 7.30pm to 10.30pm
Tung Chung Man Tung Road Park
Programme: Spectacular Chinese ethnic dance
and songs, acrobatics, Chinese instrumental
music,puppetry, Chinese stage arts, lion
dance, parade of floats, demonstration of
Chinese folk crafts and lantern installations
2. New Territories East Mid-Autumn Lantern
Carnival
September 29 (Saturday), 7.30pm to 10.30pm
Tai Po Waterfront Park
Programme: Spectacular Chinese ethnic dance
and songs, acrobatics, Chinese instrumental
music, puppetry, ballet, demonstration of
Chinese folk crafts, lantern quiz, outdoor
film screening, wish-making corner and
lantern installations
3. Urban Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival
September 30 (Sunday), 8pm to 11pm
Victoria Park
Programme: Spectacular Chinese ethnic dance
and songs, acrobatics, fire dragon dance
parade, puppetry, demonstration of Chinese
folk crafts, lantern quiz and lantern
installations
Apart from lantern carnivals, a thematic lantern exhibition, "Terracotta Warriors of the Qin Dynasty", is being held at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza until October 21. Inspired by the Qin terracotta army, the display showcases the spectacle of the terracotta warriors of the Qin dynasty.
An exhibition featuring the winning designs and all entries of the 2012 Mid-Autumn Lantern Design Competition is being held at the Exhibition Hall, 1/F, Low Block, Hong Kong City Hall, from today to October 6.
People are urged not to litter or burn wax while celebrating the festival.
For more information about the lantern carnivals, please call 2591 1340 or visit the website: www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Entertainment/EntertainmentOffice/events_details/12lanterncarnival/index.html.
Ends/Thursday, September 27, 2012
Issued at HKT 17:46
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