**************************************
A series of celebration activities will be held in Hong Kong on October 1 (Monday) to mark the 63rd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
Major activities include a flag-raising ceremony and a National Day reception in the morning, and a cultural show and a fireworks display in the evening.
The flag-raising ceremony will be held at 8am at the Golden Bauhinia Square outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) in Wan Chai.
The Chief Executive, Mr C Y Leung, will join some 2 500 people at the ceremony. They include invited guests, senior government officials, and members of youth uniformed groups and community groups.
A police band and a school mixed voice choir will play and sing the national anthem at the ceremony, followed by a sea parade and a fly-past by the disciplined forces.
The public are welcome to watch the ceremony from a designated area with a capacity for about 1 000 viewers. To ensure the smooth running of the flag-raising ceremony, people in the designated area must observe the regulations and directions given by the authorities on site.
Hosted by the Chief Executive, the National Day reception will be held after the flag-raising ceremony at the Grand Hall, Level 3, HKCEC. About 4 000 invited guests will attend, including members of the Executive and Legislative Councils, consular corps, senior government officials, community group leaders and members of various community sectors.
In addition to the police band and the mixed voice school choir who will play and sing the national anthem, there will be a band performance at the reception.
In the evening, the Organising Committee of Compatriots in Hong Kong for Celebration of the 63rd Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China will present a cultural show at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom at 7pm.
A spectacular fireworks display, sponsored by the Association of the Hong Kong Members of Guangdong's Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Committees Limited, will start at 9pm to celebrate National Day. It will last about 23 minutes.
People planning to watch the fireworks display on either side of the harbour are requested to behave in a safe and orderly manner and follow the advice of police officers. They should also pay attention to the special traffic arrangements for the National Day celebration activities announced by the authorities.
Ends/Thursday, September 27, 2012
Issued at HKT 16:01
NNNN
