People can enjoy a free ride on Hong Kong Observation Wheel at Central Harbourfront on May 20 and 21 as the organizer of AIA Carnival gears up for the large-scale event to return to the city on December 21 at the AIA Vitality Park, which expects to attract over a million visitors during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Fans visiting the wheel during the opening hours - 11am to 11pm - on May 20 and 21, will receive a free admission ticket at the box office, where AIA, who sponsors the carnival, said there is no limit set on the free admission quotas.
Speaking at a countdown event of AIA Carnival at Central Harbourfront yesterday, AIA Hong Kong and Macau chief executive Alger Fung Wai-cheong said the carnival and the free ride activity, are echoing the government's two "Hello Hong Kong" and "Happy Hong Kong" mass campaigns, which aim to boost tourism and local spending.
"We are delighted to be the AlA Carnival's title sponsor for the seventh time and bring back this long-awaited event, where people can come together and have fun at the iconic Central Harbourfront," Fung said.
It has been four years since the insurance company last sponsored the carnival at Central Harbourfront from December 2019 to January 2020.
This year's carnival will kick off on December 21, and will run through Christmas, New Year's Eve, and the Lunar New Year holidays.
Apart from the rides and game booths, it is forecasts that there will be more attractions and new experiences for visitors.
Tickets will go on sale in late September, and more details about the event will be released later in the year.
Randy Bloom, chief executive officer of Great China Entertainment Group, the carnival's organizer, said there will be different promotional campaigns and public giveaways throughout the summer.
But he has kept this year's content a "closely guarded secret."
"Over the next months of planning, there will be an exciting journey to find a combination of traditional favorite rides, games, and street entertainment along with an array of new experiences," he said.
Hong Kong's star swimmer Siobhan Haughey and AIA Hong Kong and Macau ambassador, is looking forward to the carnival's return. Haughey said she cannot wait to make her first visit this winter, as she had been traveling in previous years.
"I loved taking thrill rides when I was a kid, but now, when I grew up, I prefer game booths more, like the rainbow toss," Haughey said on the sidelines of the event yesterday.
The long-awaited return was announced alongside a gigantic timer device that kick started the countdown yesterday afternoon - 232 days until the carnival's opening.