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This year's Bun Scrambling Competition, which is the finale of the 2011 Bun Carnival, will be held on the soccer pitch, Pak Tai Temple Playground, Cheung Chau, from 11.30pm on May 10 (Tuesday) to 12.30am on May 11. Finalists will compete for championships in the men's and women's teams.
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 attract large numbers of locals and visitors to Cheung Chau. The organisers, together with the Islands District Council, Islands District Office, Police and the Transport Department, will implement various measures to facilitate public participation in an orderly manner. Detailed arrangements were announced at a joint press conference today (April 27).
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.
Miss Tang said that an opening ceremony would begin at 11.30pm on May 10 while the competition will be kicked off at midnight. The soccer pitch of Pak Tai Temple Playground will be divided into five zones, with one designated for invited guests and the other four for the public. Owing to limited space, the four zones for the public can only take 1 650 spectators, excluding the invited guests.
"Those who are interested in watching the competition are requested to queue up at Pak She First Lane, next to Cheung Chau Fire Station, and along Ping Chong Road to get admission tickets, which will be distributed from 10pm. Each person can obtain one ticket on a first-come-first-served basis while the tickets last," Miss Tang said.
"Spectators who have got their tickets should keep on queuing to wait for instructions from the Police and staff of the organisers. Admission is expected to start from 10.30pm and spectators should enter Zone 1 to Zone 4 in sequence," she added.
Notices will be put up from 6pm on that day at Pier 5 in Central informing the public of the schedule and arrangements for the event. Notices and enquiry counters will also be set up at Cheung Chau Ferry Pier and the entrance of Pak Tai Temple Playground, where staff will be on hand to address public enquiries. People are advised to pay attention to the notices and the announcements by the ferry company.
Mr Mak said sufficient Police manpower would be deployed for crowd management.
Miss Chan said the Transport Department would closely monitor public demand for the transport services and would keep in close contact with ferry and bus companies to make necessary and appropriate arrangements.
She added that with many people leaving Cheung Chau after the event, First Ferry will arrange an additional ferry trip from Cheung Chau to Central at 1.15am on May 11.
The bus company will operate a special cross-harbour bus route 104R, running from Pier 5 in Central to Mong Kok from about 1.10am to 2.30am. Overnight bus services departing 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 said both St John Hospital and the Government Flying Service would strengthen their manpower on that day. Helicopters will be brought into service if necessary.
Miss Tang called for the cooperation of the public, asking them to follow instructions from the Police and staff of the organisers. She reminded them to be patient in crowded places while enjoying this traditional festive activity.
The 2011 Bun Carnival is jointly organised by the Hong Kong Cheung Chau Bun Festival Committee and the LCSD between April 23 and May 11, with the support of the Cheung Chau Wai Chiu County Association Limited, the Cheung Chau Rural Committee, the Islands District Office and the Hong Kong Mountaineering Union, and is sponsored by Lukfook Jewellery, Watsons Water and the Islands District Council. A wide array of activities, including the Bun Scrambling Competition, play-ins during the climbing carnival and invitation relays, will be staged during the period.
For enquiries on activities of the 2011 Bun Carnival, please contact the Islands District Leisure Services Office of the LCSD on 2852 3220, or visit the department's website at www.lcsd.gov.hk.
Ends/Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Issued at HKT 15:42
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