Six territory-wide carnivals celebrating traditional festivals were organised during the year. For the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Lunar New Year, the LCSD organised a series of large-scale lantern carnivals and lantern displays for the major festive days. Programme highlights included spectacular ethnic songs and dances performed by arts troupes from Shanghai and Tibet and sponsored by the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office of the Ministry of Culture. The lantern carnivals also featured elements of intangible cultural heritage, such as a fire dragon dancing parade, traditional handcraft demonstrations by Guangdong artists and local masters, and other traditional arts and culture events. The thematic lantern displays and unique lantern installations were set up in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, and attracted numerous locals and tourists. Youth Nights were organised during the lantern carnivals to provide performance platforms for young talents and widen the opportunities for young people to participate.
To strengthen relations between local people and ethnic Asians in the community, an Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances event was organised in collaboration with the Consulates-General of Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Macao, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. The LCSD also collaborated with the Consulate-General of the Philippines to organise a Concert in the Park featuring Filipino artists.
Three Community Thematic Carnivals were held in Tsuen Wan, Sham Shui Po and Tuen Mun this year; they included various kinds of art performances and related participatory activities.
The Youth Music and Dance Marathon and the Marching Band Parade were popular platforms for talented young musicians and dancers. A total of 34 bands and nine dance troupes participated in these events this year.
The LCSD also delivered 607 regular free entertainment performances during the year, in all 18 districts of Hong Kong, for audiences of all ages. These were funded by and organised in collaboration with the District Councils. These programmes included both Chinese and Western arts performances, such as traditional Cantonese operas, puppet shows, music, dance, magic shows, and family entertainment performances.
In total, the LCSD organised 628 carnivals, special events and free entertainment programmes in 2015-16, attracting around 971 400 people.
