HCM CITY —  A series of Christmas music and dance shows featuring hundreds of singers, dancers and theatre artists offering something for everyone in HCM City’s Đầm Sen Park, District 11, will begin on Saturday. 

The open-air show Lễ Hội Mùa Đông (Winter Festival) will feature pop stars Ngọc Sơn, Uyên Linh and dance groups from local cultural clubs.  The singers will perform Christmas songs in Vietnamese and English.

Romantic songs by famous composers such as Đức Trí, Võ Thiện Thanh and Hoài Sa will also be featured. 

Dragon dances will be performed by hundreds of veteran artists from 40 dance clubs from the city and southern provinces. Puppet artists and magicians will also be included. 

The music gala, Giáng Sinh Yêu Thương (Beloved Christmas), will be staged Sunday night. It will feature young singers and dancers from cultural houses in the rural districts of Thủ Đức, Nhà Bè and Hóc Môn. They will perform songs and dances in praise of youth, love and peace.

A photo exhibition on spring and soldiers will begin on December 30. The showcase will display more than 60 colour photos selected from the latest collections of young photographers in Đồng Nai, Bình Dương, Tây Ninh and Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu.

Hành Khúc Tuổi Trẻ Miền Đông (Songs of Eastern Youth), a cultural exchange launched by local cultural authorities, will be staged on New Year’s Eve. The event will feature poor students who showed good results in their study and participated in community activities. More than 20,000 people are expected to attend.

A free painting contest aimed at children will take place at 9am at Book Street on Nguyễn Văn Bình Street in District 1 on Saturday. More than 500 free Christmas cards will be offered to visitors.

The open-air show Christmas Music will begin at 8pm on Saturday and Sunday. Thirty musicians and singers will perform on traditional instruments. — VNS