80 artists booked for 2-day music festival
More than 80 local and regional artists will take part in Hong Kong's first indoor, two-day music festival this summer.
Organised by Hong Kong's Performing Industry Association and presented by the Tourism Board, 'Summer Pop - Live in Hong Kong' aims to draw an audience of 25,000 and revitalise tourism, which has been hit hard by swine flu.
The festival, to be held at AsiaWorld-Expo, will run from 3pm to 11pm on August 15 and 16.
Local performers, who make up 80 per cent of the lineup, include Leon Lai-ming, the boy band Grasshopper, Alex Fong Lik-sun and Anthony Wong Yiu-ming. Taiwanese band Mayday and mainland rocker Cui Jian are among the confirmed guests.
The festival could become an annual event if it was a success, said association president Florence Chan Suk-fun. Youngsters from the mainland, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia are the board's prime targets.
Ms Chan believed the concert could pull in an overseas audience with Cantonese classics. 'Whether they are from South Asia, East Asia or the mainland, they should be familiar with the classic songs.'
