At least 5,000 performers, including many professional artists and artisans from various craft villages, will parade and showcase their acts at the biggest festival ever to be held in the pedestrian zone around Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake in downtown Hanoi this weekend.
According to a report by Vietnam News Agency, entitled Tinh Hoa Ha Noi – Hoi Tu Va Toa Sang (The Quintessence of Hanoi – Converging and Shining), the festival is jointly organised by the city’s Department of Culture and Sports and the Centre of Preservation and Development of Theatre Art (CPDTA).
The event aims to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of extending Hanoi borders (2008-2018). It is directed by four renowned female artists of Hanoi’s performing arts – Thuy Mui, Le Khanh, Huong Thom and Mai Huong.
“Hanoi has always taken pride in its diverse and unique cultures, as it does in preserving priceless historical arts and cultural relics,” Thuy Mui, director of the CPDTA and general director of the festival, said in an interview with Van Hoa (Culture) newspaper.
“The merger between Hanoi proper and surrounding areas has created favourable conditions and opportunities, as well as supplements the human resources and strength for the city to achieve new heights, meeting the demands for development of the nation in the spirit of solidarity, co-operation and responsibility,” she added.
Taking place from 8am to 11am on July 29, the festival will include seven groups parading around the lake. The leading group will consist of 800 artisans and traditional artists, which will be followed by groups of artisans from craft villages, the elderly, athletes and 700 students from around the capital.
The highlight of the parade will be the appearance of hundreds of models in ao dai (traditional long dresses) in the latest collections by renowned fashion designers in Hanoi. Another 300 artists and artisans will walk on stilts or perform magical tricks for onlookers.
The festival will conclude with a colourful carnival and the participation of 1,700 young people dancing.
International carnival at Hanoi pedestrian street
According to the organizers, the street festival is expected to create an exciting atmosphere among Hanoians and visitors to the capital. The content conveyed through the festival will reflect the typical cultural features of each area, contributing different colors to the overall picture of the culture of the city in particular and Vietnam in general.
It is also opportunity to honor the cultural heritages, promote the tourism potential and attract more tourists to the city.