The 18th "Le French May Arts Festival" will be launched in late April in Hong Kong, which will provide a colorful French arts feast for the public, Consul-general of France in Hong Kong and Macao Marc Fonbaustier said Wednesday.

The festival, themed as "contemporary, diverse and wide appeal, " will be held from April 23 to June 23, presenting a various range of arts, from photographic and painting exhibitions to opera, classical music and cutting-edge electro-pop sensations, he said.

Special highlights in the festival include French composer Massenet's "Manon," a classical tragic opera in five acts; "Garden of the Sage," a blend of western music, guqin and multi-media video; "Snow White," dance performance of an adapted version of Grimm Brothers' well-known fairy tale; and "The Instinctive Moment, " exhibiting works of French photographer Marc Riboud in the past 50 years.

A cinema program titled "Femmes, Femmes, Femmes" ("Women, Women, Women") will be set up to celebrate women in the film industry during the festival, organized by the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macao.

Besides, the festival will launch "Le French Fashion May" for the first time this year, to showcase the creations of young, emerging French designers and introduces their unique trends to Hong Kong.

The festival is not only a celebration of French creativity, but also a truly local festival that promotes the creativity of top artists from Hong Kong and France, said Marc Fonbaustier.

"Le French May Arts Festival" was established in Hong Kong in 1993, and has grown to be one of the most important French cultural activities in Asia. The festival has staged over 500 events, covering a broad array of visual arts, opera, classical and contemporary music, dance, new circus, cinema, as well as culinary arts.