A parade of floats that will kick off this year's Shanghai Tourism Festival will include more overseas performing groups than any previous festival.

As part of the opening ceremony of the festival, the parade will set off from Shanghai Times Square on Huaihai Road M. at 7:30pm on September 17, and march along Huaihai Road to Shaanxi Road S.

The parade will include 24 floats and 30 performing groups, 17 of which are from overseas.

Performers will include Greek and Bangladesh folk dancers, an Austrian folk music band, jazz bands from France and Switzerland, as well as folk dancers from China's Shanxi and Anhui provinces.

Shops along Huaihai Road will stay open until 11pm, and offer discounts.

Meanwhile, a party will be held on Nanjing Road E. from 9pm to midnight, and it will include popular singers and bands from home and abroad.

Tickets for the parade, which range in price from 100 yuan (US$12) to 380 yuan, as well as other festival events are available at 127 Chengdu Road S.

The floats will also travel to nine districts from September 19 to 29, and be displayed during the first week of October in famous scenic spots so tourists and city residents can vote for the best.

This year, 36 travel agencies based in east China will organize special festival activity package tours during the festival from September 17 to October 6.

(Shanghai Daily August 26, 2005)