Seventeen floral floats will take part in the grand parade on the opening night of the 2006 Shanghai Tourism Festival on September 16.

　　The parade is regarded as a rehearsal of the Expo parade. After the festival, some floats will sail across the sea for the first time to attend the tourism festival in Osaka, Japan and promote Shanghai's business tourism resources.

　　The floats were selected from 50 designs.

　　One of the highlights is expected to be the traditional Chinese floats shaped like lotus flowers, lions, and a phoenix.

　　Some of the floats are designed to look like the city's tourist attractions, such as the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the Bund.

　　Several will present foreign countries, including Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. Performers from those countries, dressed in their traditional costumes, will dance on the floats.

　　The parade will head off along Huaihai Road, starting at 7:30pm and run for 90 minutes, followed by an outdoor party along the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall.

　　The 17 floats will travel around the city during the festival, joining in various activities, including the Rose Wedding ceremony on October 5 on Huaihai Road. Sixty couples will take part in the group wedding, an annual event.

　　Some couples will ride on floats decorated with red roses, while others will have to settle for limousines.