More than 450 activities will be held to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the SAR government said yesterday.

Announcing the official launch of the 10th anniversary celebrations at a press conference yesterday afternoon, the Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs of Hong Kong Carrie Lam said a wide range of celebration activities would take place from April to December.

The government has reserved HK$90 million (US$11.6 million) for the activities which will be organized by the government and the community.

"We encourage every member of the community to take part in the activities to share the joy of this memorable occasion," Lam said.

Director of Celebrations Co-ordination Office Raymond Young gave a brief introduction of the events which cover a wide range of activities including ceremonial and celebratory events, commissioning of infrastructure projects, major exhibitions and conferences, as well as various cultural, sports, community and district events.

Of the 460 activities, more than half are community and district events. Highlighted events include a flag raising ceremony, fireworks display, commissioning of the Hong Kong Shenzhen Western Corridor, a forum on the mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement.

Since the pair of giant pandas presented by the central government to Hong Kong as a 10th anniversary gift will arrive soon, a "Name the Giant Pandas" competition, organized by the city's government, will be held between April 2 and 11.

Children born in 1997 will also receive special offers from theme parks in Hong Kong and gift vouchers sponsored by commercial enterprises and coordinated by the Home Affairs Department.

To ensure under-privileged people could take part, a socially inclusive program entitled "Celebrations for All" will be launched.

In addition, to commemorate the 10th anniversary, China Post and Hongkong Post would jointly issue commemorative stamps, which would be the first of their kind.

A range of souvenirs, some of which are designed by renowned local designers, will also be produced for distribution to the public, including a set of "10th Anniversary Figurines."