The 19th Lhasa Yogurt Festival, also called the Shoton Festival, will be held from Aug 17 to 23 in the Tibet autonomous region.

With the theme of "Happy Lhasa, Cultural Shoton", this year's festival will include activities such as Tibetan opera shows, horse riding, yak racing and music forums. At a news conference on Wednesday, the festival's organizing committee said preparatory work is in full swing and this year's festival will welcome more tourists from both home and abroad.

The Shoton Festival, which literally means "yogurt banquet festival", is one of the most important festivals for Tibetans. It dates back to the 11th century when it began as a religious occasion for local residents to offer yogurt to monks who had finished their meditation retreats.