IT looks as if Asia's premier culture-fest - the Hong Kong Arts Festival - is going to be upstaged by a neighbour across the South China Sea, the Philippines.
For Luciano Pavarotti, arguably the greatest operatic tenor of the century, is due to perform a charity concert at the Philippine International Convention Centre on March 18. And music-lovers from across the region are scrambling for seats at the 6,000-capacity venue.
More than $1 million worth of tickets have already been snapped up by Pavarotti fans in Hong Kong, with the territory's contingent believed to include several notable names, including multi-millionaire businessman Eric Hotung and his wife Patricia.
One luxury Manila hotel has even blocked off two whole floors for Hong Kong guests expected to arrive for the concert.
Although Pavarotti agreed to the concert at short notice because it would benefit street children (indeed, he is even donating part of his fee to the charity involved), his impending arrival in Manila is not music to everyone's ears.
In some political quarters the event has been referred to as ''extravagant and wasteful'', something that ruffles the delicate feathers of wealthy Filipina socialite Rosemarie ''Baby'' Arenas who was the prime instigator in persuading Pavarotti to come to Manila. (Incidentally, her mother, opera diva Remedios Bosch Jimenez and Pavarotti shared the same voice coach, Arrigo Pola, in Rome).