Beijing to hold 2nd rehearsal for Olympics opening ceremony

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The second full dress rehearsal of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony will be held in the National Stadium on Saturday night, as previously scheduled.

Different from the first rehearsal, ceremony organizers will put in a few shows, starting from 6 p.m., before the opening ceremony performances kick off at 8 p.m., according to the official website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Due to the new arrangement, public areas of the Beijing Olympic Park and the National Stadium, or better known as the Bird's Nest for its unique structure of interwoven steel beams, will be open at 4 p.m., two hours earlier than during the first rehearsal.

Tonight's rehearsal will also be featured with fireworks late into the night, which is expected to cheer up the weekend audiences.

Spectators who will be waiting outside the stadium to watch the fireworks are advised to stay further way, for a better view and to ease the traffic burden near the stadium.

The rehearsal audiences are also advised to take buses, including 28 non-stop bus routes bound for the Olympic Park, or subways to watch the show.

All subway lines, except the Airport Line, will operate for some extra time to get audiences home after the rehearsal is over.

Audiences are reminded there are five entrances into the Olympic Park. Organizers said most people had swarmed into the Olympic Park from two entrances during the first rehearsal, causing long queues for security checks.

The opening ceremony directed by famous Chinese film director Zhang Yimou has been kept in top secrecy by its organizers. Tight security was deployed outside the stadium during the first rehearsal that lasted three and half hours.

All the workers on duty had signed agreements with the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee (BOCOG) to keep what they saw confidential.

But the secrecy was breached after South Korean's SBS TV station broadcast some footage of the opening ceremony on Wednesday, showing fragments of a video of the rehearsal, including scenes depicting the past and future of Chinese culture.

The first full dress rehearsal was held in secret on July 11. The third and last rehearsal is scheduled for Tuesday.