Green concert aims for Guinness world record title

Aug 10, 2009, 5:02 GMT

   Hong Kong - A 'green' concert featuring about 100 musicians and 8,000 fans will attempt to create a Guinness world record this month for the largest 'unplugged' musical performance, a media report said Monday.

   Concert-goers will be encouraged to play makeshift musical instruments, including plastic bottles filled with green beans, during one of the songs, the South China Morning Post newspaper said.

   Organised by Wow Music and Greeners Action, the concert is expected to attract about 30 singers and bands from Hong Kong, Taiwan and China, including Taiwan boy band Fahrenheit.

   Wow Music director Flora Kwong Man-wai said: 'About 100 musicians and artists will have an ensemble with unplugged musical instruments while an audience of 8,000 will be invited to join us as well.' She said a representative from Guinness World Records would be at the concert.

   Billed as Hong Kong's first green music festival, Kwong said the two-day concert, on August 22-23, will have a raft of environmentally friendly features. These include discounts on food and drink if people bring their own cutlery and tissues. Those that don't can pay 5 Hong Kong dollars (64 cents) to use biodegradable cutlery.

   Kwong said a new stage effect has been created using fallen leaves instead of paper that would be fired onto the stage.

   Organizers hope to cut the amount of rubbish left at the end of the concerts by 50 per cent compared with traditional concerts, with most of it taken away for recycling.

   Greeners Action chief executive Angus Ho Hon-wai said: 'Instead of simply spreading messages about environmental protection to teenagers, the festival will enable them to put things into practice.'