Everything has been ready for the opening of the 2016 Hue Festival slated for April 29, which promises to offer sumptuous entertainments through the course of one week with 53 events of all kinds and nearly 50 sidelines activities, the organising board said on April 28.

According to head of the organising board - Vice Chairman of Thua Thien-Hue province’s People’s Committee Nguyen Dung, more than 2,200 Vietnamese and foreign artists will perform at the Festival.

France will continue to be a main partner in the upcoming Hue Festival as it has been in the previous eight events. Five French art troupes are expected to make their appearance, while photographer Sébastien Laval will display his work of Hanoi and Hue at night.

Besides the traditional stages in the Inner Citadel, An Dinh Palace, the Bia Quoc Hoc Squarer and the Central Cultural House, 11 new stages have been set up for large-scale art performances.

The opening and closing ceremonies will take place at the Ngo Mon (Noon Gate), while a spectacular Ao dai show will be held at Bia Quoc Hoc Square instead of Trang Tien Bridge as in previous events.

Along with artistic programmes featuring the characteristics of cultures worldwide and the quintessence of Vietnam’s arts and culture, Hue’s folklore arts and street arts will be given a chance to shine.

In addition, diverse cultural activities offer plenty of choices for visitors, ranging from exhibitions of photos and calligraphy, cuisine demo, to kite flying, sports contests, scientific workshops and trade fairs.

With the theme “Cultural heritage with integration and development,” the festival aims to honour the 710th anniversary of the region, Thua Thien-Hue (formerly known as Thuan Hoa, and then Phu Xuan).

VNA