Thousands of revellers and romantics will lock lips in Venice at midnight on Wednesday, welcoming in 2009 with a mass ''kiss-in''.
The Lagoon City predicts the event in St Mark's Square will draw nearly 70,000 people, making it the world's biggest collective kiss.
Entitled 'LoVe 2009', the kiss-in will be preceded by a step-by-step lesson about the secrets of a perfect kiss, with plenty of opportunity for practice.
Couples are expected to start gathering under St Mark's bell-tower at around 10pm, and as midnight approaches, a live jazz concert will get underway, while a rain of firework hearts will light up the skies as the clock strikes twelve.
Venice's first kiss-in, staged last year, won the Lagoon City an international prize for best New Year's event.
Organizers hope the 2008-2009 celebration will surpass last year's 60,000 participants and boost Venice's reputation as the world's most romantic city.
In addition to LoVe 2009, Venice also hopes to attract media attention with its traditional New Year's Concert at La Fenice Theatre, conducted by Georges Pretre and with renowned performers such as Mariella Devia and Massimiliano Pisapia.
While the concert is a long established event in the Venetian calendar, fans around the world will also be able to enjoy the performance for the first time, as it has been selected as the official launch event for a new online Opera Channel.
