Roman Holiday, a European-style funfair, will open on the Pudong waterfront in Shanghai on September 10.

The six-week carnival, which has proven extremely popular with Italians for the past eight years, will celebrate Italian culture with performances, food and drink, and fashion and lifestyle product shows.

"Roman Holiday marks the first large-scale Sino-Italian cultural exchange program since the establishment of a comprehensive cooperative relationship between the two countries," said Alex Jan, deputy director of the event's organizing committee.

A five-year contract has been signed to stage Roman Holiday in Shanghai annually to introduce more Chinese people to Italy and Europe, according to Jan.

He revealed that the Shanghai SHL Art Event Co. Ltd., one of the sponsors, is investing 60 million yuan (US$7.2 million) in the event. "Street Performances of Italy" is one of its main attractions.

Dating back to the 12th century, street performances featuring music, acrobatics, fireworks, magic shows and dramas have seen a revival all over Europe in recent years.

"It will definitely be a crowd pleaser," Jan said.

Michele Soranzo, a PR manager from Roma Concerti Srl, an Italian partner, pointed out that traditional street performances revolve around audience participation. "It will be an experience that will be totally new to Shanghai."

Shanghai's Roman Holiday will also welcome a number of major bands that are veterans of lively European festa.

"The Latin spirit of festa has been kept in many ways, but we have added a more international flavor, which can better represent Shanghai and the many cultures of the city," said Soranzo.

A number of stars from Asia will also join in the song and dance performances to add a touch of homegrown flavor, according to Jan.

At the specially built Disco Hall, some of the world's top 20 DJs will spin their sounds.

All Roman Holiday activities will take place in an Italian village built along a stretch of the Pudong waterfront in the bustling Lujiazui area.

A number of famous Italian architectural landmarks will be recreated, including a 24-meter-high Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Coliseum, Spanish Square, the Arch of Constantine, the Bocca della Verita (Mouth of Truth), Venetian canals and gondolas, and the Bologna Church.

Soranzo promised that the architecture would be one of the most exciting features of the event.

A major stage musical written for Shanghai's Roman Holiday will make its world premiere.

When it was last staged in Rome, the event attracted 1.5 million visitors, a figure that organizers are certain will be beaten this year in Shanghai.

(China Daily September 7, 2004)