The
公共圖
he 1971 Festival of Hong Kong, providing entertainment on a scale seldom paralleled anywhere in terms of scope, participation and audience, formed the climax to another year of progress for the Colony. The evening of November 26 ushered in the festival with a parade of traditional Chinese dragons, lions, lantern bearers and acrobats. Then, for the next 10 days, many thousands of people were treated to a widely varied programme of non-stop entertain- ment contributed by organisations and individuals from every sector of the community. Daily concerts in Statue Square were given for lunch-time crowds from the commercial centre of Hong Kong Island, while at night much larger crowds were drawn to the brightly lit entertainment centres throughout the Colony. One of the most popular attractions was a festival pageant held on five consecutive nights, which included sky-diving, simulated battle scenes, motor- cycle rough riding, massed bands and horse-riding and jumping. The festival culminated with a grand procession through the streets of Kowloon on the night of December 6, when an estimated 200,000 people turned out to watch. The festival was the second to be held in Hong Kong. The inaugural event, in 1969, broke new ground by placing stress on entertainment for the entire community.
Our photographers were there to capture these highlights of the festival. The picture on the title page was taken during the opening. Opposite, one of the RAF Falcons parachute display team coming down for a perfect landing. Just beyond the parachute can be seen the barge used in the laying of the cross harbour tunnel sections. The pictures on the centre pages depict individual aspects of the festival.
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