The International Carnival, which became a craze two years ago in Shanghai, will land on this eastern Chinese commercial hub again in late September.

A worker decorates a float for the Shanghai Tourism Festival yesterday. Altogether 23 such vehicles will participate in parade at the opening ceremony of the tourism event on September 17.

As an important part of "2005 Shanghai Tourism Festival", the carnival is sponsored by world entertainment giant Freij Entertainment Co., Ltd. and two other local firms.

The carnival will be located in Lujiazui of Pudong District, covering an area of 75,000 square meters, two and a half times larger than the area for 2003.

In addition to traditional games, the current carnival will add more recreational items, including 43 large amusement machines, 60 percent of which appear on China's mainland for the first time, said the organizers.

A series of novel activities and performances will also be held.

The carnival will last from September 28 to November 20, and expects an attendance of more than two million.

The 2003 World Carnival in Shanghai, which started a carnival fad in China, received 2.1 million tourists, bringing in 240 million yuan (US$29.6 million) in earnings.

(Xinhua News Agency September 2, 2005)