Hafiz @ Penang Golden 2010, New Year Celebration

New year's eve dance for a record

GEORGE TOWN: Penang will usher in 2010 with a bang by attempting to create a new Guinness world record through the 1 Population 1 World dance event.

The grand countdown celebration, Penang Golden 2010 (PG2010), organised for the fifth consecutive time by CreatiVision D.C. Sdn Bhd and supported by Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd, coincides with the 53rd celebration of George Town's city day.More than 100,000 people are expected to throng Padang Kota Lama for the event on new year's eve.

The pinnacle of the evening will be a 10-minute fireworks display to mark the beginning of the new year.CreatiVision managing director Adelyn Lim said they had decided to have something spectacular this time as it would be a dual celebration.

She said they hoped to attract more than 30,000 people on new year's eve to join the largest dance event ever in order to create a Guinness world record.

She said the dance was in aid of Unicef's Unite for Children campaign.Participants will dance for five minutes to the tune of Sean Kingston's Fire Burnin' On the Dance Floor. The current record for the largest dance class is 7,770 people in Cebu, the Philippines."We also want to showcase our 1Malaysia spirit," she said at the launch of the event at the Gurney Resort Hotel and Residences here yesterday.

Lim said the 1 Population 1 World dance was a non-political, non-religious and non-profit campaign, co-ordinated by the company's corporate social responsibility-youth social responsibility unit, Rainbow of Life Forces.

There will also be live performances by artistes such as popular groups Estranged and SoFaz, and Hafiz (Akademi Fantasia season seven winner), Amy Wang (Astro Talent Quest runner-up) and newcomer The Villanz.

Meanwhile, Celcom northern region vice-president Saiful Bahrin Abd Ghaffar said the telecommunication provider had lined up special offers, promotions and lucky draw prizes at their booth at the event site.

"The PG2010 countdown is the perfect setting for Celcom to celebrate and usher in the new year with its customers," he added.

Five gold bracelets, priced at RM700 each, await the lucky winners.Saiful Bahrin said there would also be special deals for BlackBerry users.