2003 Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Parade entertains audiences worldwide

The Year of the Goat was celebrated with fun, colour and excitement today (1 February) as the 2003 Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Parade brought Hong Kong's harbourfront alive, entertaining more than 250,000 spectators in the Central and Wan Chai Districts, as well as millions more around the world through live and delayed broadcasts.

Combining Chinese and international elements, the parade featured 12 elaborately decorated floats and 12 international and 25 local performing groups. The procession set off from the Tamar Site in Central and entertained spectators along Lung Wui Road and the Wan Chai waterfront.

The event was organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) with Cathay Pacific Airways as the title sponsor. To highlight Hong Kong's living fusion of different cultures, the floats and performing groups were categorised according to five sub-themes under the parade's main theme of "Celebrate Life", namely Style, Vitality, Tradition, Future and Harmony.

The opening ceremony was performed by Chief Executive The Hon Tung Chee Hwa. He was joined by Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, The Hon Mrs Selina Chow, GBS, OBE, JP; Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Mr Stephen Ip, GBS, JP and Cathay Pacific Airways Director and Chief Operating Officer, Mr Philip Chen, SBS, JP, representing the Title Sponsor.

The Tamar Site buzzed with excitement as floats and performing groups poured into the venue, entertaining more than 3,000 spectators inside, including around 1,500 visitors on special tours to Hong Kong.

Performances at the Tamar Site took on a new "location-based format" this year. In each session, performers streamed onto the central stage from different directions. Spectators at the venue were able to enjoy ongoing interactive performances taking place on three sides of the stage. Tickets for the seats in Tamar were sold out one week before the event.

To capture the excitement at the Tamar Site and further spice up the festive atmosphere, giant LED screens measuring 2 metres by 3.5 metres were erected at Lung Wui Road and Convention Avenue.

The parade procession was led by Cathay Pacific Airways' "Asia's World City" float, the centrepiece of which was a six-metre-long model of an aircraft, accompanied by some 200 cabin crew members and performers.

Ocean Park's float featured the first ever 9-metre parade balloon in Hong Kong - "Flying Whiskers". The float was followed by the Shanxi Drum Troupe who produced high-energy rhythm and entertainment with their enormous drums. Sponsored by China Travel Service (Holdings) HK Ltd, the glittering, golden and dynamic Dragon float symbolised 5,000 years of Chinese history and wished the audience success and prosperity in the Year of the Goat.

Having taken part in several previous New Year parades, Star Cruises supported the event again by sending a float that showcased the company's luxurious facilities and professional services. Performing on unfamiliar turf, The Hong Kong Jockey Club transformed a horse racing starting gate into a magnificent parade float, symbolising that the success of the New Year would soar at the same stunning speed as Hong Kong's champion racehorses.

The parade also featured floats from a number of tourism bodies, including Guangzhou Municipal Tourism Bureau, Korea National Tourism Organization, Macau Government Tourist Office, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board. Each of the elaborately decorated floats reflected the cultural and tourism attractions from the five destinations. The design of the float specially brought to Hong Kong from Thailand was inspired by a popular Candle Festival that takes place in the north of Thailand and featured beautifully carved beeswax candles.

Making its first appearance in the Chinese New Year Parade, Hong Kong Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle float elaborately brought to life the fairytale theme that will be a key attraction of the future theme park. Adding to the glamour and excitement Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Cinderella joined the parade and entertained the audience.

To celebrate the New Year, the HKTB created an Experience Life in Abundance float. The centrepiece was a brilliantly lit Ferris wheel. Around the wheel were symbols representing Hong Kong attractions, namely shopping, dining, events, culture, heritage and festivals. Charming goat mascots, dressed in Chinese and Western costumes, added colour to the theme and highlighted Hong Kong's cultural and heritage sites. Also on the float were  current reigning Miss Hong Kong Tiffany Lam, First runner-up Victoria Jolly, Second runner-up Cathy Wu and Miss Chinese International Rachel Tan, who greeted spectators along the procession route.

Of the 12 floats, four of them were built on bus chassis that provided a larger area for more innovative designs. The HKTB, Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong Disneyland and the Guangzhou Municipal Tourism Bureau built floats incorporating bus chassis.

In keeping with Hong Kong's reputation as a living fusion of Eastern and Western cultures, international performing groups from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mainland China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States took part in the parade.

This was the first New Year Parade that saw cheerleading teams from Canada and Australia performing in Hong Kong. Super Cheer Force, Canadian Elite Cheerleading Team showcased a dynamic presentation of athletic talent as the performers built human pyramids and executed high-flying aerial acrobatics. The Queensland Reds' Cheerleaders from Australia prepared a special montage of Australian Rock classics that enthralled the audience.

Under the banner of the Carnival Roadshow, four clubs from the United Kingdom provided a glittering display of costumes and Caribbean music, which stem from the traditions of the world renowned Notting Hill Carnival. The Mahogany Carnival Club presented costumes representing Wind, Fire, Light, Land and Sea.

The University of Southern California (USC) Trojan Marching Band also made its first appearance in Hong Kong. The band is renowned for its high-energy performances of popular rock music with arrangements customised to utilise its powerful brass and drum sound. It is internationally recognised for its  innovative performances, including performances in front of seven US Presidents and at many other high-profile events.

Other performing groups included Yes Brazil's Samba Group, who brought to Hong Kong a taste of Brazil and the fascinating carnival atmosphere of Rio de Janeiro. The Kim Kyung Joo Dance Group presented popular traditional dances widely performed in Korea. This was the third time the group has taken part in the parade, having been well received during the 2000 and 2001 Parades.

Just in case anyone needed reminding that this was the first day of the Year of the Goat, the "goat" theme featured prominently throughout the parade. Some 100 young dancers from the Jean M Wong School of Ballet dressed in tailor-made "goat" costumes performed an energetic dance. Elsewhere, around 100 retro-scooters (known as "sheep" in Cantonese, which sounds the same as "goat") from Hong Kong Scooter Power also took part in the parade.

For the first time in the parade's eight-year history, more than 200 inflatable balloons ranging in size from two metres to five metres were flown high in the sky to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Five balloon teams also held aloft colourful balloons that complemented the parade theme - the smiling sun, a shining star, a Chinese God of Fortune, a blossoming flower and happy children.

The 2003 Parade featured performing groups with more members. Members of each performing group increased from around 30 in previous years to about 60 this year. The total number of performers numbered around 4,000. The parade set off from the Tamar Site and wended its way along Lung Wui Road and Fenwick Pier Street to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre before returning by the same route to Tamar. The length of the route was around two kilometres and the whole event ended at around 3:30 pm.

In addition to thrilling spectators in Hong Kong, the show was enjoyed by millions around the world. The event was televised live in Hong Kong on Television Broadcasts Limited's (TVB) Jade Channel. Internet buffs worldwide also enjoyed the programme via simultaneous transmission on the HKTB's DiscoverHongKong.com Web site. As the Official Broadcaster in Mainland China for the parade, Shanghai TV relayed the programme through its satellite distribution channels to around 1,300 local TV stations, while TVBI Company  Limited broadcast the show to different parts of the world, reaching an audience of hundreds of millions.

In addition to the parade, the HKTB is bringing together other celebratory programmes during this period, such as the flower markets, the firework display on 2 February, the Lunar New Year horseracing on 3 February and an  international football tournament on 1 and 4 February. Shops and restaurants around major tourist areas are encouraged to maintain operation during this period.

A special Chinese New Year Celebrations and Activities Guide is available at the HKTB's Visitor Information and Services Centres. During Chinese New Year, this publication and other useful travel information are being distributed by the HKTB's staff at various entry points. This is being done to demonstrate the multi-dimensional travel experience available, so that visitors will be  encouraged to enjoy more activities during their stay in Hong Kong.