Taipei, July 31 (CNA) A 2-day invitational surfing contest, which has attracted more than 150 competitors from around the world, will be held Aug. 1 at Wushi Harbor in Yilan County in northeastern Taiwan, the county announced Friday.

The surfing contest is one of the activities in the second Yilan International Rain Festival, which began on July 11 and will run through August 23.

Dale Richards, a professional surfer from Queensland, Australia has been invited to perform some of his stunts at 11: 00 a.m on Aug. 11 and at 1:00 p.m. the next day.

The surfing contest is expected to draw thousands of visitors to the county, in the wake of a pop music festival on July 25 that attracted some 27,000 people, a county official said.

Admission to the surfing contest is free, but entry to parks hosting other events in the Yilan International Rain Festival will cost NT$50 (US$1.5) to NT$100, with various package discounts on offer, the official added.

Since 2000, the Yilan International Rain Festival has replaced the International Children Folklore and Folkgame Festival, which brought in average annual revenues of more than NT$2 billion. (By Jamie Wang) Enditem /pc