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A series of official and community celebration activities will be held on October 1 (Tuesday) to mark this year's National Day. Major celebration activities include a flag raising ceremony to be held in the morning, a National Day reception in the afternoon, and a variety show and a fireworks display in the evening.
At 8 am, a flag raising ceremony will be held at the Golden Bauhinia Square outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), Wan Chai. A sea parade and a fly-past will also be staged in the ceremony.
The flag raising ceremony will be attended by about 600 invited guests including the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, senior government officials, members of the consular corps, dignitaries and community leaders.
Other than the invited guests, members of the public can also watch the ceremony at the Golden Bauhinia Square where there should be room to accommodate about 1 000 more spectators.
A cocktail reception hosted by the Chief Executive will be held at 4 pm at the Grand Hall of the HKCEC for invited guests from all sectors of the community.
During the reception, a total of 60 photographs carrying four different themes, "New face of the Motherland", "Sporting Achievements", "Focus on Hong Kong " and "Perfect Complements", will be displayed in the Grand Hall to update guests on the latest developments of the Mainland and Hong Kong.
In the evening, the Association of Compatriots in Hong Kong for Celebrating the 53rd Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China will organise a variety show at the Hong Kong Coliseum, Hung Hom at 7 pm. The show is jointly organised by the Home Affairs Bureau and sponsored by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
The show will feature performances by The People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong, the five disciplinary services of the HKSAR government, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, the Hong Kong Dance Company, the Hong Kong Children's Choir and local pop singers including Hacken Lee, Eason Chan, Andy Hui, Joey Yung and Twins.
About 2 800 tickets will be available for distribution to members of the public for free and on a first come, first served basis at the Public Enquiry Services Centre of all the District Offices starting from 9 am on September 25.
A splendid fireworks display will start at 9 pm. Sponsored by the Federation of Hong Kong Guangdong Community Organizations Ltd, the fireworks will last for about 23 minutes. Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather on both sides of the Victoria Harbour to enjoy the spectacular display.
Members of the public planning to watch the flag raising ceremony or the fireworks display on either side of the harbour are requested to beware of their own and others' safety and heed advice of police officers on the scene. They should also pay attention to the special traffic arrangements for the National Day celebration activities which will be announced by the Police nearer the date.
The photo exhibition on China and Hong Kong will be roved to different districts for public viewing from October 2 to November 9. Details of the dates and venues are as follow:
October 2 to October 8 Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui
October 9 to October 11 Hong Kong Central Library, Causeway Bay
October 13 to October 20 Tuen Mun City Hall
October 22 to October 27 Sha Tin City Hall
October 29 to November 9 Tsuen Wan City Hall
(except November 2 and 3)
End/Monday, September 16, 2002
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