If you enjoyed yourself during last year's World Carnival and can hardly wait to repeat the experience, your time has come.

The 2005 edition of the World Carnival, the second in Beijing, opened on July 29 at the capital's Shijingshan International Sculpture Park with more and newer rides and attractions.

Organized by William Stevens, a sixth-generation member of a family that has taken the World Carnival to different parts of the world for the past 120 years, the carnival has pledged to safely bring great joy and excitement to carnival participants until it closes on October 9.

Originally called Funfairs, the UK-based World Carnival is famous for its breathtaking rides. But there are also lovely toys and novelties-more than 260 container boxes fill of them-that can be won by playing carnival games or by purchase. About 75 percent of the toys are new to China, but 25 percent of them are tried and true successes from last year's fair. In addition to the Express Big Windmill and G Force rides, 17 new activities will see their Asia premiere during this year's carnival.

Safety must be ensured at a large-scale entertainment activity such as the World Carnival and people are the key. So, most of the service staff for this carnival-about 1,500 people-will be people who were professionally trained during last year's carnival. During the installation of the carnival's equipment in July, all the rides and equipment that will be used by the public were examined and tested. Other safety measures, such as emergency procedures and the installation of carnival lighting, were supervised by a Hong Kong company that specializes in such matters.

Music and food are also important. The music for each ride or amusement was carefully selected to match that particular ride, without overwhelming the sounds of music from other rides. An adequate supply of a wide variety of safe carnival foods has been stocked so carnival goers can maintain their energy levels while having fun.

The carnival, which will occupy 60,000 square metres of land, has been moved to the northern part of the Sculpture Park this year to avoid annoying neighbourhood residents with unwanted light and sound.

Time: July 29 to October 9

Venue: Shijingshan International Sculpture Park, 2 Shijingshan Lu, Shijingshan District

How to get there: take subway Line 1, get off at Yuquanlu; or take bus routes Nos. 747, 728, 389, 337, 373, 308, 605, 958, 621

Admission: 50 yuan to enter the carnival; free for children below 1.4 metres and military servicemen and retired cadres.