Five-day wine and dine festival to feature award-winning selections The Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival will be hosted for five days for the first time - and it is expected to attract 150,000 visitors - with more than 300 booths offering thousands of global wines and delicacies, the Tourism Board said. The annual event will be held at the Central Harbourfront Event Space from October 23 to 27, with opening hours extended to 11pm to entice consumers, the board said. Chairman of the board Pang Yiu-Kai said the event drew over 100,000 visitors last year. "The scale of this year's Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival will surpass that of last year," Pang said. "We will hold the event for five days instead of four, as well as extend the opening hours, enabling guests to drink until 11pm from Wednesday to Sunday and have fun." This year's festival is projected to draw in 150,000 visitors, with 10 percent expected to be tourists, said the board's general manager of event and product development, Raymond Chan Chun-man. Chan also said the event will showcase global wines from 35 countries, including France, Italy, Germany and China, while introducing the latest trends in the wine world, such as English sparkling wines, Chinese Baijiu and zero-additive natural wines. There will be over 110 food booths featuring culinary delights from around the globe, Chan added. Visitors can savor Michelin and award-winning selections, including South African abalone from the three-Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Forum Restaurant and iconic drinks from The Aubrey, ranked No 10 on Asia's 50 Best Bars, as well as exclusive delicacies crafted specifically for the event. To align with the authorities' plastic-free initiatives, the board said no plastic cups will be distributed to visitors at the event. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own cups, and each will receive a limited-edition cup sleeve, Chan said. Admission tickets are HK$40 for individuals aged 12 and above, while children aged three to 12 and seniors aged 65 or older can enjoy a discounted price of HK$20. Starting today, tasting passes that include admission tickets and tokens for food and wine tasting can be purchased through Klook. https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/4/266342/Five-day-wine-and-dine-festival-to-feature-award-winning-selections (ICE HONG KONG)

Fonte notizia: The Standard