Hue Festival to kick off in June

Hue Festival will take place from June 5-13 in the ancient imperial city of Hue, with the expected participation of over 40 artists and art troupes from 31 countries worldwide, said the organisation board.

For the first time, Hue Festival will welcome the representatives of ancient capital cities and provinces housing world cultural heritages whose activities include special cultural performances relating to music, circus, theatrics, street art, puppetry and cinema, said Nguyen Duy Hien, the organisation board’s deputy director.

Unique performances of the Hue imperial court will reappear in many areas in the forms of such events as sacrifice ceremony, Ao dai (traditional dress) festival, royal palace night, the legend of Huong River, and Vietnam’s Beauty Programme.  

Additionally, two new activities to welcome the 1,000^th founding anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi, the country’s territory defense and the manoeuvre of marines under Nguyen dynasty, will be theatricised during the festival, according to the organisation board.

Before Hue festival, a flower festival will take place from February 11-18 on the occasion of Tet (Lunar New Year Festival in mid- February), according to the municipal People’s Committee.

Starting in 2000, the biennial Hue Festival has so far reaped considerable successes. In 2008, the festival attracted over two million visitors, rose from over 1.5 million in the previous festival, including 30,000 foreign tourists.

Schedule of key events at Hue Festival 2010

The Hue Festival will be kicked off with a variety of community activities such as a massive street painting taking the theme “From Thang Long Ancient Capital to Hue Ancient Capital”, street performances, installation arts with the theme “What should be undertaken to protect our green planet” in the morning of June 5, 2010 and the Grand Opening Ceremony in the evening.

1.  The Hue Festival will be kicked off with a variety of community activities such as a massive street painting taking the theme “From Thang Long Ancient Capital to Hue Ancient Capital”, street performances, installation arts with the theme “What should be undertaken to protect our green planet” in the morning of June 5, 2010 and the Grand Opening Ceremony in the evening.
2.  Reenactment of a “Navy manoeuvre under the Nguyen Dynasties” in the evening of June 7, 2010.
3.  “Ao Dai” Grand Show in the evening of June 8, 2010.
4.  Nam Giao Offering Ritual in the evening of June 9, 2010
5.  The “Voyage to reclaim the country’s land” spectacle in the evening of June 10, 2010.
6.  “The Perfume River’s legends” program in the evenings of June 6 and 12, 2010.
7.  “The Oriental Night” Show to be staged in the evenings of June 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12, 2010.
8.  The folk music and drama program entitled Viet's Beauty to be showcased in the evenings of June 6, 9 and 11, 2010.
9.  The program “Royal Palace by Night” in the evenings of June 5, 2010 (without royal banquet) and June 8 and 11, 2010 (with royal banquet)
10. The Closing Ceremony in the evening of June 13, 2010.