A parade, osmanthus blossom and museum tours will be some of the high points in the annual cruise liner festival that starts next week.

The cruise liner port in Baoshan District will be thrown open to the public from September 23 until October 25 along with historical and cultural venues nearby.

Twenty-five floats will parade along a 4-kilometer-long route on the opening day. Several roads will be closed between 8pm and 8:45pm.

An exhibition about Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal, Asia’s largest cruise liner port, will be held at Paotaiwan Wetland Forest Park between October 1 and 3. Close to the terminal, the park at the mouth of Yangtze was the site of a fortress and gun batteries during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It is now an ecological park with forests and wetlands, home to many species of wild bird.

The city’s biggest osmanthus forest in Gucun Park will be in full bloom during the festival. It has over 10,000 osmanthus trees spread over 260 hectares.