After 73 happy days, the World Carnival has closed its gates in Beijing on a successful note. The organizers reported higher ticket revenue than last year. And just before midnight closing time, the fairground was still filled with patrons squeezing out the last bit of fun.

The glaring lights and dynamic music turned the Carnival into a fairyland in the darkness. More than 100 games and rides were still running in the park and people were still queuing for a spin. Especially popular was a game called "screaming", with many people waiting, but some of them obviously with a little trepidation. Only four of these rides exist in the world. And toy lovers trying to win some furry friends had their last throw of the dart or hoop and happily carrying off their prizes.

Compared with last year, the carnival welcomed 20 percent more visitors and its revenue increased 17 percent. During the past few days, about 1.5 million people enjoyed the games. As for the National Day holidays, the average daily number of visitors even exceeded 50,000, with each visitor spending about 110 yuan. During its spin in the Beijing, the carnival brought in about 170 million yuan of income.

(CCTV October 12, 2005)