Carnivals and Entertainment Programmes

Seven large carnivals were organised during the year to celebrate traditional festivals and major festive days. The New Year’s Eve Countdown Carnival 2014, held in Sha Tin Park and in the Sha Tin Town Hall Plaza cum City Art Square, attracted 30 000 visitors. Audiences were entertained by a mix of programmes by young arts talents and youth organisations, including a mass Latin dance medley, displays of samba dancing, capoeira and martial arts, band music, percussion, cheerleading, bicycle trick riding and a yo-yo performance.

The New Year's Eve Countdown Carnival attracted crowds to Sha Tin Park.

To celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Lunar New Year, LCSD organised a number of large-scale lantern carnivals. Highlights included spectacular ethnic songs, dances and acrobatics performed by arts troupes from Beijing and Shanxi. These were sponsored by the Office for Cultural Affairs of the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Regions of the Ministry of Culture.

Lanterns light up Victoria Park during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

A new initiative in the year was the organisation of Youth Nights at the lantern carnivals to provide performance platforms for young talent and to attract participation by young people. The lantern carnivals also featured elements 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 in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, captivating locals and tourists alike.

To foster good relations between local people and other ethnic Asians, an event themed Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances was organised in co-operation with the Consulates-General of Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. With the Consulate-General of the Philippines, LCSD also co-organised a Concert in the Park featuring Filipino artists.

Members of various Asian ethnic groups put on traditional music and dance performances.

Three Community Thematic Carnivals with spectacular themes were held in Lok Fu, Tung Chung and Stanley this year, which included stage performances and participatory activities.

The Youth Band Marathon and the Marching Band Parade continued to provide a platform for talented young musicians; this year a total of 34 bands took part in these events.

LCSD offered 644 regular free entertainment performances throughout Hong Kong for audiences of all ages during the year, funded by and organised in collaboration with the District Councils. Usually held on weekends and public holidays, these free programmes included performances of traditional Chinese performing arts, music, and dance, along with other family entertainment.

In 2014-15, LCSD organised a total of 666 carnivals, special events and free entertainment programmes, attracting around 823 100 people.