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A series of official and community celebration activities will be held in Hong Kong on Saturday (October 1) to mark the 56th National Day.
Major celebration activities include a flag raising ceremony and a morning reception, as well as a variety show and a fireworks display in the evening.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will hold the flag raising ceremony at 8am at the Golden Bauhinia Square outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) in Wan Chai.
The Chief Executive Mr Donald Tsang will join some 800 guests including government officials, members of the consular corps, dignitaries and community leaders at the ceremony. About 800 members of the uniformed groups and 800 members of local organisations will also participate in the ceremony.
The police band and a mixed choir of Diocesan Boys School and Diocesan Girls School will perform at the ceremony, followed by a sea parade and a fly-past by the disciplined services.
People are welcome to watch the ceremony at a designated area with a capacity of about 1,000 viewers. Six plasma TVs and an LCD screen will be set up there to facilitate public viewing of the ceremony.
To ensure the smooth running of the flag raising ceremony, people planning to watch at the designated area are requested to observe the regulations and directions given by the authorities on site.
The National Day reception, to be hosted by the Chief Executive, will be held after the flag raising ceremony at the HKCEC Grand Hall. About 4,000 guests, including members of the Executive and Legislative Councils, consular corps, heads of missions in Hong Kong, senior government officials and members of various community sectors have been invited to the reception.
Apart from performances by the police band and the mixed school choir, there will also be dancing performances by the Hong Kong Dance Federation at the reception.
In the evening, the Organising Committee of Compatriots in Hong Kong for Celebration of the 56th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China will organise a variety show at 7pm at Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom.
A spectacular fireworks display, sponsored by The Federation of Hong Kong Chiu Chow Community Organisations, will start at 9pm. It will last for about 23 minutes.
People planning to watch the fireworks display on either side of the harbour are requested to conduct themselves in a safe and orderly manner and follow the advice of police officers on the scene. They should also pay attention to the special traffic arrangements for the National Day celebration activities announced by the police.
Ends/Thursday, September 29, 2005
Issued at HKT 16:00
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