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Residents and visitors to Tsuen Wan enjoyed a day packed with festive fun at the Tsuen Wan Halloween Arts Day today (October 24), in which more than a hundred district associations presented street performances and variety shows at a Halloween and Arts village in the Citywalk and Wo Tik Street area.
Jointly organised by the Tsuen Wan Community Arts Day Organising Committee and Tsuen Wan Trade Association, co-organised by the Tsuen Wan District Office and sponsored by the Tsuen Wan District Council, the activity aimed to bring the community together, strengthen residents' sense of belonging and enhance their understanding and interest in culture and the arts.
The carnival was launched by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Henry Tang. After the ceremony, officiating guests and resident representatives participated in a tree-planting ceremony in an effort to improve the environment and promote environmental protection.
To promote cultural and arts development in the community, four performance zones were set up at the Citywalk Piazza and vicinity where a variety of performances were staged. These included the playing of musical instruments, dancing, singing, Chinese traditional "changing faces", Cantonese opera, acrobatics, a lion dance by children, rope skipping and wushu.
With the coming of Halloween, a Halloween Village with 10 specially designed huts was set up where visitors enjoyed free festive make-up services and had fun making Halloween accessories and masks.
There were also booths featuring Chinese traditional crafts, where people tried their hand at handicrafts such as woven grasshoppers, beads and mural paintings. Also on display at the venue were ground paintings, installation art, antique vehicles and horses, which all became popular photo-taking spots for visitors.
Other officiating guests included the Chairman of the Tsuen Wan District Council, Mr Chau How-chen, the Chairman of the Tsuen Wan Community Arts Day Organising Committee, Mr Chan Iu-seng, and District Officer (Tsuen Wan), Mr Cheung Doi-ching.
More than 100 local organisations, schools, social welfare agencies and commercial enterprises participated in the event, demonstrating the social harmony and unity of the district's different sectors.
Apart from Tsuen Wan District, all District Offices, District Councils and community groups have been organising community festivals to offer a wide variety of free cultural and arts performances from last month to December. For details, please visit the Home Affairs Department website (www.had.gov.hk/en/communityart.html).
Ends/Saturday, October 24, 2009
Issued at HKT 17:22
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