FUNtastic QRE Festival 2013 Kicked off with
Discovery Walk on QRE

The 4th FUNtastic QRE Festival presented by Hopewell Holdings Limited which is to take place on three consecutive weekends in Wan Chai was unveiled today with its highlight event of the week Discovery Walk on QRE at the Open Piazza of Hopewell Centre . The festival is one of the highlight street carnivals recommended by the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

VIPs officiating at the festival opening ceremony and kicking off the walk included Mr. Suen Kai-cheong, BBS, MH, JP, Chairman of the Wan Chai District Council, Mr. Kenneth Wong, General Manager, MICE & Cruise, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Mr. Nelson Chow, Chairman of the Hong Kong Sommelier Association, Mr. Stefan Wong, TV and film celebrity, Mr. Kenny Wong, local famous designer, Ms Su-Mei Thomason, the representative of the beneficiary of the walk, The Women's Foundation, Mr. William Wong, Executive Director, Hopewell Holdings Ltd and Mr. Bruce Leung, Director, Hopewell Asset Management Ltd.

In his welcoming speech, Mr William Wong said, "Hopewell is committed to working hand in hand with the community towards the goal of sustainable development. Since 2010, the annual QRE Festival with the highlights of local artists and international gourmet foods has been an important opportunity for us at Hopewell to celebrate together with our neighbours, local community and tourists the charm and harmony of Wan Chai in the unique ambience of "East meets West".

After the opening ceremony, Mr. Nelson Chow and Stefan Wong led the officiating guests and media on a premium Discovery Walk to tour highlight spots on the discovery route, including MINI Showroom, where some of the 2013 Most Favorite Wine of Hong Kong Awards winning wines were served. The premium tour covered also Akita Crab for premium sakes, famous French restaurant Chez Patrick, a new star in Wan Chai the Sky Bar, and Stone Nullar Tavern in a modern style restaurant on the lane by the same name with an old history.

Participants of the Walk today enjoyed not only international wines and gourmet canapés, but also Asian wines and sakes, a new feature of the walk this year. The 18 awarded wines can also be tasted at the designated outlets. All proceeds from the Walk ticket sales after deduction of necessary costs will be donated to The Women's Foundation for youth development programmes.

2013 Most Favorite Wine of Hong Kong Awards is fully supported by Hong Kong Tourism Board in collaboration with WINE.Luxe. The 18 winning wines were announced at the Discovery Walk opening ceremony today.

The festive activities on the Open Piazza will continue tomorrow in the form of a French-styled Montmartre. Local famous figure Molly's original designer Kenny Wong will showcase his newly designed 3-metre tall figure "YuTong", an expression of "where there is love there is hope". Visitors can art jam with other local artists, enjoy enchanting live performance by the famous local bands "Sollasedo" and "Space" and join the free wine-tasting seminars.

On 16-17th November, the showcase of a selection of the latest electric vehicles, electric bus, police cars and motorbike of international brands will open your eyes to the world of green living. The exhibition will also highlight a concept electric car designed and hand-crafted by local university students. Again, the hot moves and funky dance, live music and free snacks on-site will add to the joyous atmosphere of the festival.

BMX Battle will be held on 23-24th November and the city's first ever individual BMX Grind Box Competition will be held on 23rd November at 2pm. Each player will compete in 2 categories：Grind Box & Bunny Hop. For Grind Box, judging criteria are complexity, aestheticism and power of the moves. For Bunny Hop, each player has to high jump with his bike over the bar. The international BMX freestyle champion Somsak Senglee will have demonstration in the event.

Some of the local senior BMX Pro-riders including Jimmy Mak will take you back to the 80s where you can get a glimpse of some of the classic old and new skool BMX bikes. The event will also be featuring artistic pieces made of used bicycle parts designed by students from Wan Chai led by a young product design group MIRO. These artistic items will be exhibited in the Open Piazza of Hopewell Centre from 18th to 24th November 2013.