Cosplay and light sabers to help bring good vibes

Light sabers, water splashing, cosplay, wishing placards and wishing trees feature in the Day and Night Vibes carnivals and festivals across all 18 districts starting from this month to May.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said such activities will showcase the characteristics of the districts, promoting traditional cultures and building up an atmosphere for the festivities.

"A dedicated working group will be set up by each district council," Lee said before the Executive Council meeting yesterday.

"Carnivals and festivals in different districts will have different themes to showcase diverse cultures, while featuring new elements."

For instance, Sham Shui Po district will feature cosplay, digital products and light saber duels.

In Kowloon City, visitors will be offered Thai cuisine, song and dance performance and Muay Thai competitions in April as they celebrate Thai Songkran Festival - a water festival marking the beginning of the traditional Thai New Year.

In Tai Po, light installations will be added to the Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree in the night market. Glow-in-the-dark wishing placards will be provided for people to make wishes.

"We will also invite shops and restaurants to provide discounts in several events to increase public consumption," Lee said.

Lee also said Hong Kong does not need politicians who serve the community for money after former district councilor Ken Chow Wing-kan decided to shut his Yuen Long Shui Wah subdistrict care team, claiming he had run out of resources to operate it.

It is the first organizing group that stopped serving as a care team.

The chief executive said: "For people who wanted to stand for election but could not satisfy the requirement they should look at themselves to see why they did not get either the nomination or the support of the people."

But Chow disputed Lee's claims, saying that he was counting on getting elected as a Yuen Long district councilor and contributing his own salary of about HK$200,000 a year to run the care team.

Lee also said many people in Hong Kong are committed to serving the community.

"For people who want to provide service it is not just about what they want," he said.

"We want the best people, so we need to have a system to ensure such people are produced. And if anybody looks for a position for money then probably this is not the passion and commitment we want."

christine.tang@singtaonewscorp.com