HONG KONG — The Rolling Stones and top tenor Jose Carreras will headline a four-week government-sponsored music festival to try to restore some glitz to SARS-battered Hong Kong, organizers said Wednesday.

Irish boy band Westlife, Latin rock guitarist Carlos Santana, British R&B singer Craig David, Taiwan pop sensation Jay Chou and boy band F4, will also participate in the concert series titled Hong Kong Harbor Fest.

"We thought we could all help Hong Kong recover by bringing some exciting, world class entertainment here," said James Thompson, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce, which is organizing the event with the government.

Thompson said he hoped the event would attract tourists from North America, Europe and Japan and in turn create jobs.

Hong Kong's unemployment is at a record 8.7 per cent.

An outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome between March and May dealt a heavy blow to the already struggling economy. The disease, which killed 299 people in the territory and sickened 1,755, prompted travel warnings and devastated tourism, hotel and other businesses.

"We are trying to put Hong Kong back on the map. That's the entire thrust of relaunch effort because Hong Kong really did fall down badly with SARS," Thompson said.

The festival will take place at the outdoor Tamar site along Hong Kong's waterfront between Oct. 15 and Nov. 9.

The Stones will perform on Nov. 7 and 9, with top tickets priced at HK$2,000 (about $350 Cdn) each. Carreras will be in Hong Kong on Oct. 20.

More than 200,000 tickets for 18 shows will be available for the entire festival and ticket sales will begin on Sept. 12.

Earlier this summer, the Rolling Stones, AC/DC and a host of other musical acts performed for close to half a million people in Toronto to help Canada's largest city restore its image after a SARS outbreak.