Seven large carnivals were organised during the year to celebrate traditional festivals and major festive days. The New Year’s Eve Countdown Carnival 2013, held in Sha Tin Park and at the Sha Tin Town Hall Plaza and City Art Square, attracted 50 000 visitors. Audiences were entertained by a mix of programmes by young arts talents, local ethnic groups and youth organisations, delivering performances of orchestral and band music, fire dances, pop songs, bicycle trick riding and shuttle-cock kicking skills. The evening climaxed with the New Year Countdown, followed by a spectacular pyrotechnics display over the Sha Tin Town Hall complex.
A countdown carnival for 2013 New Year’s Eve attracted a large audience to Sha Tin Park.
To celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival and the Lunar New Year, the LCSD organised a number of large-scale lantern carnivals. Highlights included spectacular ethnic dances and acrobatic displays by groups from Sichuan and Anhui, sponsored by the Office for Cultural Affairs of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Regions of the Ministry of Culture.
Dazzling lanterns in many different shapes and sizes lit up Victoria Park during the Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival.
The carnivals also featured examples of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), such as a fire dragon dancing parade, demonstrations of traditional lantern-making by local masters, and handcraft demonstrations by Guangdong artists. During both festivals, thematic lantern exhibitions were staged at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, captivating thousands of locals and tourists.
To foster good relationships between local people and other ethnic Asians, a number of Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances were organised in co-operation with the Consulates-General of Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, South Korea and Sri Lanka. With the Consulate-General of the Philippines, the LCSD also co-organised a Concert in the Park featuring Filipino artists.
Traditional arts performances by different Asian ethnic groups amazed audiences of all ages with their vibrant music and dance.
Following their successful launch in 2009-10, three Community Thematic Carnivals with local elements or tailor-made for specific communities (including the growing elderly population and the youth community) were held in Sheung Shui and the New Territories South and East Regions this year; they included performances and community participation activities.
The Youth Band Marathon and Marching Band Parade continued to provide platforms for talented young musicians, playing in a total of 43 bands.
Funded by and run in co-operation with the District Councils, 628 regular free entertainment performances were offered throughout Hong Kong for audiences of all ages during the year. Usually held on weekends and public holidays, these free programmes included traditional Chinese performing arts, music, dance, and family entertainment.
In 2013-14, the LCSD organised a total of 651 carnivals, special events and free entertainment programmes, attracting around 1 221 000 people.
