This year's New Year Parade, highlighting Hong Kong's international appeal, will be held on February 3, the Spring Festival Day, the Hong Kong Tourism Board announced on Tuesday.

Already in its sixteenth year, the parade attracts 36 floats from 11 countries to march along Nathan Road, the longest and most prosperous road in the metropolis. Many of the performers in the parade are new additions to the parade, including a dancing troupe from Peru, an art troupe from Taiwan and a girl group from Japan. The parade will start at 8pm and will last one and a half hours.

One hundred thousand spectators, half of whom will be tourists, are expected to watch the parade, said the Tian Beijun, chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Some 36 million tourists visited Hong Kong during last year's Spring Festival. This year's parade aims to attract even more.