The International Festival of Inclusive Arts 2006 will be held in Hong Kong from December 3 to 10, the Health, Welfare & Food Bureau says, with a budget of $5.5 million.

In a Legislative Council paper today, the bureau said the SK Yee Fund has approved a $2-million sponsorship for the project. The bureau will bear $3 million of the projected expenditure and is seeking sponsorship and donations from the public.

A working group has been formed to oversee the preparation of the festival which will include indoor and outdoor performances, carnivals, visual arts exhibitions, symposiums, workshops and other cultural and arts activities.

World record

The opening ceremony on December 3 will see a large-scale drum performance involving 11,000 participants on both sides of Victoria Harbour. The bureau will enter the event into the Guinness World Records.

The annual celebration of the International Day of Disabled Persons will also be a key element of the opening.

Along with local artists with and without disabilities, the bureau has invited disabled talent from overseas and the Mainland to perform.