Cultural Services: Festivals

The six-week International Arts Carnival, which opens annually in early July, provides cultural events and entertainment for children, teenagers and families during the summer vacation. It introduces performances from different cultures and art forms to family audiences, and serves as a platform of audience building for local artists and groups. In addition to stage performances, outreach teams are lined up to promote arts activities at schools and public spaces such as the foyers of civic centres and shopping arcades. Apart from the Graphic Design Competition open to all schools, intensive arts workshops, day camps and summer fun carnivals are also arranged.

The 2005 Carnival opened with sold-out performances of Nomade by Cirque Éloize of Canada. Other highlights included Ah Dull and Little Dragon II — Magic Window by Make Friends With Puppet, The Beautiful Hearts by the Class 7A Drama Group, Shortcut to Classical Music — Musical Terms 'Therapy' Session II by the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves by the Pikkari Theatre of Japan, Animals by El Retablo Puppet Theatre of Spain and The Flying Babies by the Drak Theatre of the Czech Republic.

Nineteen local and six overseas arts groups presented 389 events, attracting an attendance of 134 000. One-hundred-and-ten kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools participated in the outreach activities. The average attendance rate at ticketed events of 93% was the highest for the carnival since 2000.

The Latin Passion Festival was the first thematic festival on World's Cultures in Hong Kong. The initiative took heed of the growing interest in the arts of foreign cultures in the community and interest in the preservation of heritage.

The Latin Passion Festival 2005 presented an extensive range of music, dance and theatre programmes, demonstrating both traditional and contemporary performing arts from Latin America. It opened with Cuba's legendary music diva Omara Portuondo of the Buena Vista Social Club. Other highlights included the Asian premiere of Tocororo by the Cuban ballet superstar Carlos Acosta and the Mexican Dance Spectacular Jarocho. Other festival hits included Havana-Mania Carnival! by Vocal Sampling and Chet Lam, Rosa Passos' concert Tango Una Leyenda by Tango Por Dos and The Postman by the Chung Ying Theatre Company.

Free community, educational and extension activities were organised as an important part of the festival. These included a large-scale two-day Latin Fiesta in Victoria Park, a Salsa Party in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre foyer and mini-performances at Lan Kwai Fong. The festival combined with the Group of Latin-American Consulates in Hong Kong, which organised the Latinamerica 2005 Festival during the same period to showcase the diversified cultures of Latin America. The Libraries Section, local bookstores and cultural sectors were also involved to promote Latin American arts in Hong Kong through activities such as book exhibitions, poetry readings, reading clubs, film seminars and talks.

Thirteen local and 17 overseas artists groups presented 65 events at the festival and attracted over 74 000 people. The festival recorded an average attendance rate of 96%.