'It started out being a Brazilian Mardi Gras-style festival in the early days, then each year we've added different elements,' said Terence Loo, head of marketing for the Lan Kwai Fong Carnival Committee. 'Each year we've added different elements. Last year, we added more of a New Orleans type carnival feeling - the colours and the jazz band and so on. This year we have that, plus we're incorporating other international dancers such as the belly dancers.'

In keeping with the carnival's cosmopolitan flavour, the belly dancers will be from Miami and New York - one of them specialising in a less well-known form of tribal belly dancing - and they will be joined by a belly dancer from Lan Kwai Fong's own Beirut restaurant.

'We're also bringing in some mainland Chinese performers, including a traditional face-changer,' Mr Loo said.

'Every year, we keep the elements that were popular previously and then add some new element. We consider it to be our own interpretation of international carnivals now.'

Other attractions will include Indian drummers, an African drummer, a display of flamenco and fusion dancing by performers from Spain and the Philippines, a Mexican Tabasco eating competition, Chinese singers and the skills of He Man, the master balloon twister.

Of course, some of the elements that work in overseas carnivals wouldn't work in Lan Kwai Fong. 'We thought of doing a New York-style Macy's parade with huge helium balloons and floats, but obviously in Lan Kwai Fong that's impossible because of the narrow streets and the high buildings.'

Despite its limitations, the carnival has become increasingly well known and is attracting more and more attention from overseas visitors. 'It has grown over the years and we now have people who return every year,' Mr Loo said.

'The event has become more of an attraction for visitors in Hong Kong, and concierges from local hotels come over for a preview of the carnival so they can better explain it to their guests. The Hong Kong Tourism Board also offers a lot of support.'

While adding some colour to Hong Kong's tourism calendar, the real purpose of the Lan Kwai Fong carnival is to broaden the appeal of an area best known for its trendy restaurants and nightlife.

For that reason, there is a strong emphasis on children's entertainment, with a wide variety of performers and the biggest collection yet of shows and stalls dedicated to children by Toys 'R' Us, which sees the carnival as a unique family event in Hong Kong. 'The main reason we do this carnival is to do something different and to draw more attention to Lan Kwai Fong, and also to approach a different audience to the one we normally get,' Mr Loo said.

'Everyone knows what a stereotypical Lan Kwai Fong customer is like. We're trying to do something different, something during the day, so that families can bring young children along, rather than just target our typical expatriate market.

'At the carnival, there's entertainment and everything is free. There are booths selling food and drink at reasonable prices. It really isn't a money-making venture. It's something that brings all the Lan Kwai Fong community together, gives the restaurants a buzz and shows what they can do and allows different people taste it at a reasonable price.'

With crowds of up to 100,000 compared with a normal weekend's 10,000 to 15,000, it's an event that certainly won't do Lan Kwai Fong any harm.

'Usually, during the day, it's fairly quiet in Lan Kwai Fong,' Mr Loo said. 'When the carnival is on, it is pretty much full by 2pm or 3pm.

'The crowd we get is similar to the crowds at Halloween and New Year's Eve. But the difference is that people come for the experience of being in Lan Kwai Fong rather than just to eat or meet up with friends as people normally do. It's a great day out for them.'