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This year's Bun Scrambling Competition, the finale of the 2010 Bun Carnival, will be held at the soccer pitch of Cheung Chau Pak Tai Temple Playground from 11.30pm on May 21 (Friday) to 12.30am on May 22 (Saturday). To add attraction to the event, results of male and female finalists will be ranked and awarded separately for the first time.
Jointly organised by the Hong Kong Cheung Chau Bun Festival Committee and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), the festive event is expected to draw a large crowd to Cheung Chau. The organisers, together with Islands District Council, Islands District Office, Police and Transport Department, will introduce various measures to enable the public to share the fun of the competition in an orderly manner. Detailed arrangements were announced at a joint press conference today (May 12).
The press conference was hosted by the Chairman of the Cheung Chau Bun Festival Committee, Mr Yung Chi-ming; Chief Leisure Manager (New Territories West) of the LCSD, Miss Sylvia Tang; member of the Islands District Council, Ms Lee Kwai-chun; Assistant District Officer (Islands), Mr Wong Chun-to; Divisional Commander (Cheung Chau) of the Hong Kong Police Force, Mr Mak Pui-yuen, and Senior Transport Officer of the Transport Department, Miss Polly Chan Siu-mui.
Miss Sylvia Tang said that the opening ceremony of the Bun Scrambling Competition would begin at 11.30pm on May 21 with the contest starting at midnight. Due to limited space, apart from invited guests, only 1,500 spectators will be accommodated in the soccer pitch of Pak Tai Temple Playground. The venue will be divided into five zones, with one designated for invited guests and the other four for the public.
"Those who are interested in going to the soccer pitch for the competition are requested to queue up at Pak She First Lane, next to Cheung Chau Fire Station, and along Ping Chong Road. Admission tickets will be distributed at 10pm. Each person can obtain one ticket while the tickets last," Miss Tang said.
"Spectators who have got their tickets should wait in the queue. When admission starts at 10.30pm, they should follow the instructions from the Police and staff of the organisers and enter Zone 1 to Zone 4 in sequence," she added.
Notices will be put up from 6pm at Pier 5 in Central informing people of the schedule of the event. Notices and enquiry counters will be set up at Cheung Chau Ferry Pier and the entrance of the Pak Tai Temple Playground. People are advised to pay attention to the announcements.
Mr Mak Pui-yuen said sufficient Police manpower would be deployed for crowd management.
Miss Polly Chan Siu-mui said the Transport Department would closely monitor the demand for public transport and would keep in close contact with ferry and bus companies to make the necessary transport arrangements.
"With many people leaving after the event, First Ferry will arrange an additional ferry trip from Cheung Chau to Central at 1.15am on May 22." she said.
The bus company will operate a special cross harbour bus route 104R, running from Pier 5 in Central to Mong Kok from about 1am to 2.30am on that night. Overnight bus services, which depart from the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal in Central, will be re-routed to operate via Pier 5 in Central from midnight to 2.30am for passengers' convenience. These routes are: N8X (to Siu Sai Wan), N90 (to South Horizons), N182 (to Kwong Yuen, Sha Tin) and N619 (to Shun Lee, Kwun Tong).
Mr Wong Chun-to said both St John Hospital of the Hospital Authority and the Government Flying Service would strengthen their stand-by manpower, and if necessary, helicopters will be brought into service.
Miss Tang appealed to people who wanted to watch the competition in Cheung Chau to co-operate and follow instructions from the Police and staff of the organisers and to be patient in crowded places so as to enjoy this traditional activity.
The 2010 Bun Carnival is jointly organised by the Hong Kong Cheung Chau Bun Festival Committee and the LCSD, and is co-organised by the Cheung Chau Wai Chiu County Association Limited, Cheung Chau Rural Committee, Islands District Office and Hong Kong Mountaineering Union, and sponsored by Lukfook Jewellery, Watsons Water and the Islands District Council.
Ends/Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Issued at HKT 16:41
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