URUMQI, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Turpan Grape Festival kicked off on Friday to celebrate the grape harvest at Grape Valley in Turpan, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

More than 200 kinds of locally grown table grapes with different colors and flavors are expected to compete for various titles, including the largest and smallest grape cluster, and the sweetest and crispest varieties.

The municipal bureau of culture and tourism said the festival is among the activities to heat up Xinjiang's tourist season, along with a raisin and wine fair, night tours in museums and live music shows.

Turpan, with its dry and sunny climate, has a long history of growing grapes and is one of the main grape production bases in China. Its planting area totaled 37,800 hectares with a yield of 1.14 million tonnes in 2018.

Launched in 1990, the grape festival has become a well-known event both in China and abroad.