The second full dress rehearsal of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony will be held in the National Stadium on Saturday night, as previously scheduled.
Unlike the first rehearsal, this time, 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 Olympic Green and National Stadium (better known as the Bird's Nest for its unique structure of interwoven steel beams), will open at 4 p.m., two hours earlier than during the first rehearsal.
Tonight's rehearsal will feature fireworks late into the night.
Spectators 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.
Those that wish to be a part of the rehearsal audience are advised to take buses, including 28 non-stop bus routes bound for the Olympic Green, or subways, to watch the show.
All subway lines, except the Airport Line, will operate later than usual this evening to shuttle audiences home after the rehearsal is over.
Audience members are reminded that there are five entrances to the Olympic Green. Organizers said that most people had swarmed into the park from two entrances during the first rehearsal, causing long queues for security checks.
Plans for the opening ceremony directed by famous Chinese film director Zhang Yimou are being kept under tight secrecy. An intense security force was deployed outside the stadium during the first rehearsal, which lasted three and half hours.
All workers on duty signed agreements with the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee (BOCOG) to keep what they saw confidential.
But the secrecy was breached after SBS TV station of the Republic of Korea 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.
By The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad
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