The China (Hefei) Crayfish Festival will start in Hefei, Anhui province, on Aug 9, which was confirmed in a press conference on July 19 at Bolifeng Square's marketing center.

The festival first opened in 2002 so it has been held 11 times and has helped Hefei's crayfish grow and extend its industrial chain so that, by 2012, its annual output value reached two billion yuan ($326 million), with taxes of nearly 100 million yuan. The city's crayfish business is now a brand worth more than 100 million yuan and a symbol of the city.

The festival's duration has been extended, with the opening ceremony scheduled for Aug 9 and the closing ceremony for Sept 8. Among the many new activities, the crayfish feast is probably the grandest with 10,000 people randomly selected and invited to take part. There will also be crayfish-related activities, such as a drawing and essay contest, and fossil exhibit.

You can register for the crayfish feast through the official Hefei Evening News Weibo site or phone the hotline at 96511.

By Guo Yi

Edited by Roger Bradshaw, Huang Pei