Bun Scrambling Competition to be held in Cheung Chau next Tuesday (with photo)

     The 2018 Bun Carnival will stage its grand finale, the Bun Scrambling Competition, at the soccer pitch of Pak Tai Temple Playground in Cheung Chau in the night of May 22 (Tuesday). A total of 12 finalists will vie for the championships in the men's and women's divisions.

     Trophies will be awarded to the champion, first runner-up and second runner-up in the men's division and the champion in the women's division. The "Full Pockets of Lucky Buns" award will continue to be presented this year to commend the participant who grabs the most buns.

     To make the event more appealing, any male or female athlete who has won the first prize three times in the Bun Scrambling Competition from 2016 will become the "King of Kings" or the "Queen of Queens" of the competition and be awarded a trophy.

     An opening ceremony to launch the Bun Scrambling Competition will be held at 11.30pm on May 22 (Tuesday). The competition will start at midnight on May 23 (Wednesday) according to tradition. An invitation relay with 10 teams from Macao, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and local Cheung Chau organisations will be held immediately after the individual competition. The organisers, together with the Islands District Council, the Islands District Office, the Hong Kong Police Force and the Transport Department, will implement various crowd management measures to maintain public order on the night. Detailed arrangements were announced at a joint press conference today (May 15).

     The Chairman of the Hong Kong Cheung Chau Bun Festival Committee, Mr Yung Chi-ming; the Chief Leisure Manager (New Territories West) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), Ms Fanny Ho; the Assistant District Officer (Islands), Mr Benjamin Au; the Divisional Commander (Cheung Chau) of the Hong Kong Police Force, Mr Wilson Ng; Senior Transport Officer of the Transport Department Miss Florence Ho; and member of the Islands District Council Ms Lee Kwai-chun attended the press conference.

     Ms Fanny Ho said at the press conference that four spectator zones will be set up on the competition night at the soccer pitch of Pak Tai Temple Playground, which can accommodate about 1 650 people. The distribution of free admission tickets will start at 10pm. Members of the public can queue up at Pak She First Lane, next to Cheung Chau Fire Station, and along Ping Chong Road to get admission tickets. Each person can obtain one ticket on a first-come, first-served basis while tickets last. Spectators who have got their tickets should follow instructions from the Police and staff of the organisers for admission, which is expected to start from 10.30pm. Spectators should enter Zone 1 to Zone 4 in sequence.

     Notices will be put up at Central Pier No. 5 informing the public of the schedule and arrangements of the event. Notices and enquiry counters will also be set up at Cheung Chau Ferry Pier and at the entrance of Pak Tai Temple Playground, where staff will be on hand to address public enquiries.

     She added that the organisers will monitor the weather conditions on the night. The Bun Scrambling Competition will be cancelled in case of inclement weather, including thunderstorms, to ensure public safety. As stipulated in the prospectus, awards would then be determined based on the results of the selection contest and a prize presentation would be held immediately. Since the Bun Scrambling Competition is traditionally held at a specified period during the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival, no replay of the competition would be organised in such circumstances.

     Mr Ng said police officers would be deployed for crowd management. He called on the public to co-operate, follow instructions from the Police and staff of the organisers, and be patient in crowded places.

     On the arrangements for public transport services, Miss Florence Ho said the Transport Department would closely monitor passenger demand for public transport services and would stay in close contact with ferry and bus companies to make necessary and appropriate arrangements to meet demand.

     She added that as many visitors will be leaving Cheung Chau after the event, New World First Ferry will arrange a special sailing from Cheung Chau to Central at 1.15am on May 23.

     The bus companies will operate a special bus service of cross-harbour route 104R running from Central Pier No. 5 to Mong Kok from about 1.10am to 2.30am on May 23. Overnight bus services departing from the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal will be progressively diverted via Central Pier No. 5 from about midnight to about 2.50am for passengers' convenience. These routes are Citybus' routes N8X (to Siu Sai Wan) and N90 (to South Horizons) and cross-harbour routes N182 (to Kwong Yuen, Sha Tin), N619 (to Shun Lee, Kwun Tong) and N368 (to Yuen Long West).

     Speaking on rescue operations during any possible emergencies, Mr Au said St John Hospital would make appropriate manpower arrangements on the day for the provision of accident and emergency services, while the Hospital Authority will render assistance when necessary. The Government Flying Service will also deploy helicopters and strengthen its manpower.

     Jointly organised by the Hong Kong Cheung Chau Bun Festival Committee and the LCSD, the 2018 Bun Carnival is presented with the support of the Cheung Chau Wai Chiu County Association Limited, the Cheung Chau Rural Committee, the Islands District Office, the China Hong Kong Mountaineering and Climbing Union, and the Islands District Council.

     For enquiries on the above activities, please contact the Islands District Leisure Services Office of the LCSD on 2852 3220, or visit the department's website.