Cultural Beat Drone Show, 1 May 2025

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) launched a new seasonal thematic promotion Hong Kong Cultural Beat with a drone show over Victoria Harbour on 1 May.

Themed around Hong Kong’s cultural festivals—the Tin Hau Festival, the Tam Kung Festival, and the iconic Cheung Chau Bun Festival—the 12-minute show featured a fleet of 1,000 drones. And while beautiful, if we’re being honest, the drone show sadly paled in comparison to some recent ones seen north of the border.

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image: HK Tourism

Chinese New Year Night Parade 2025

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) annual Chinese New Year Night Parade lit up the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui to celebrate the first day of the Year of the Snake.

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The, Unfold a Year of Good Fortune, themed parade featured nine floats and 46 performing groups representing 14 countries: including K-pop girl band, Kep1er, and Thai boyband, LYKN.

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Find out more events to celebrate the start of the Year of the Snake at the HKTB Guide to Chinese New Year in Hong Kong website.

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International Chinese New Year Night Parade 2025
Date: 8pm, 29 January, 2025
Venue: Tsim Sha Tsui
Tickets: Free

Hong Kong New Year Countdown 2024-25

The Hong Kong New Year Countdown fireworks display, organised by the HKTB, welcomed in New Year with a “Symphony of Happiness” theme that offered blessings for 2025 by revealing the myriad states and stages of the five natural elements – metal, wood, water, fire and earth – over Victoria Harbour.

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New Year’s Eve Fireworks
Date: Midnight, 31 December, 2024
Venue: Victoria Harbour
Tickets: Free

photos: HKTB

Choices, Choices, Choices…

Choices, choices, choices… The HKTB‘s Wine & Dine Festival is back with over 300 booths full of food and drink to explore savour and hopefully enjoy.

Everyone will have their own preferences and ideas as to how to explore the festival. My approach is what can I do and taste here which I probably can’t/wouldn’t away from the festival. And that mostly means food! There are so many wine and spirits shops in Hong Kong that you can buy a bottle of pretty much anything you want to sample away from the festival.

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The Cutest drink

Honestly, to tease and please your tastebuds head to the Culinary Stars area first to sample dishes from some of Hong Kong’s finest restaurants including The Aubery, Fisholic, Hong Kong CuisineAn ChoiThe Baker and The Bottleman and The Grand HK which is showcasing their new Bakery.

Where Wine and Dine Shines…

When you go out to a restaurant you can enjoy one version of a dish. At the festival, several restaurants are, for example, offering Siu Mai – so you can buy from several booths and taste and compare them at the same time. Exploring how each chef views and thinks of such a basic staple and much-loved Hong Kong dish. The different flavours and textures are profound, surprising and delicious and will spoil you for your basic everyday version.

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What Not to Miss!

The Vietnamese egg coffee at An Choi – as good, if not better than you’ll find on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City.

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To the left of the entrance is the ‘hotel zone’ where some of Hong Kong fancy hotels are showcasing the favourite dishes from their restaurants. It’s also one of the areas where you can find vegetarian food.

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There’s US and Argentinan Beef to enjoy.

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Near the Star Fery entrance is the French zone with some lovely cheeses – a nice way to start or something to enjoy later with a glass of wine or a cocktail.

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Don’t forget to take pictures of your food

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There are two live music stages, both of which have chairs, when you a rest.

Cheers and Enjoy!

Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival
Date: 23-27 October, 2024
Venue: Central Harbourfront Event Space
Tickets: $400, $290, $240
Notes:
23 October 2024 (Wednesday), 7:30–11pm
24–25 October 2024 (Thursday – Friday), 4–11pm
26–27 October 2024 (Saturday – Sunday), 12–11pm

All images copyright bc magazine / simon durrant – all rights reserved

Wine & Dine Festival 2024 – Opening Night

HKTB‘s Wine & Dine Festival 2024 buzzed with excitement and anticipation as booth owners—first-timers and old hands—rushed to finalize their preparations. Suddenly, it was 6:30 p.m., and the doors were open…

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Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival
Date: 23-27 October, 2024
Venue: Central Harbourfront Event Space
Tickets: $400, $290, $240
Notes:
23 October 2024 (Wednesday), 7:30–11pm
24–25 October 2024 (Thursday – Friday), 4–11pm
26–27 October 2024 (Saturday – Sunday), 12–11pm

All images copyright bc magazine / simon durrant – all rights reserved

Hong Kong Halloween

Halloween starts early this year with a 3D light show projected onto the domed roof of the Hong Kong Space Museum on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront. The show runs from 20:15-22:30 daily until 31 October.

Characters include a hungry pumpkin enjoying local delicacies, a funky ghost DJ playing music through the 1night, a friendly pineapple bun inviting passers-by to pose for selfies, a romantic galactic spirit exploring Hong Kong on an iconic tram, and a party-loving bat toasting the Halloween season.

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Also look out for the Halloween tram…

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Halloween 3D Celestial Projection Show
Date: 18-31 October, 2024
Venue: Hong Kong Space Museum
Tickets: Free

image: HK Tourism

Galloping Horses in the Sky

The evening sky over Victoria Harbour became a canvas as 1,500 drones paid tribute to Chinese painter Xu Beihong recreating his paintings as Galloping Horses in the Sky.

Organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) the cover image is Xu’s most renowned work, “Galloping Horses”. It shows six horses charging forward in unison with unstoppable momentum.

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Xu’s Galloping Horse created in 1942, the magnificent stallion embodies boundless power.

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Based on Xu’s 1934 work “Vigorous with New Life”, the roaring lion leaps in hope, reflecting HongKongers “Lion Rock Spirit”.

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Xu’s “Chinese Redbud”, an illuminated bauhinia blossom signifies Hong Kong’s vibrant and colourful nature.

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Galloping Horses in the Sky – National Day Drone Show
Date:
 8pm, 28 September, 2024
Venue: Victoria Harbour
Tickets: Free

image: HK Tourism

Tai Hang Fire Dragon Festival 2024

On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the streets of Tai Hang resonate with the vibrant sounds of gongs and drums. And the intense smell of incense heralds the arrival of the century-old fire dragon as it dances for good fortune.

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The Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance is staged for three consecutive nights (16 to 18 September) on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival to bring good fortune to the neighbourhood and its residents.

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The 220-foot dragon is handcrafted each year by the Tai Hang Residents’ Welfare Association, a process that takes around two months. The head and tail sections are constructed of rattan, and the body of thick rope with the dragon’s body then wrapped in chamber bitter leaves.

The dragon’s body is pierced with incense sticks ahead of the consecration ceremony which takes place the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, at the  Lin Fa Kung Temple. After the dragon’s eyes are painted on, the fire dragon is alive.

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This year the traditional joss sticks have been replaced with 10,000 LED
bulbs and the route extended so more people can enjoy the dance up-close.

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images: HK Tourism