Long plagued by a reputation for gang crime and lawlessness, France's port city of Marseille is hoping its year as the European Capital of Culture will finally give its image a makeover, reports France 24.
The gritty Mediterranean city will kick off the festivities on Saturday with a downtown parade, fireworks and the opening of a slew of exhibitions.
Organisers are hoping 300,000 people will take part and that the event will kick off a year leading to a cultural renaissance in France's second-largest metropolitan area.
"Marseille needs a bit of romance, to bring it out of everything that's been said about it in recent times," said Fanny Broyelle, one of the organisers of the opening ceremonies.
Ahead of the launch, Marseille has undergone a major facelift, with its famed Old Port remodelled, many museums renovated and new facilities opened under a 660 million euro ($865 million) public-private investment programme.
On Saturday French President Francois Hollande and European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso will be in town to mark the completion of works on a major new facility -- the seaside Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations -- that will open in June near the port.
The influx of investment comes at a crucial time. A key port in the "French Connection" drug smuggling route since the 1960s, Marseille has for decades suffered from its image as a hotbed of crime.
Read more of this report from France 24.