Glamorous, exotic, alluring and chaotic, the festive season is a wonderful time to visit Hong Kong and whilst neither Christmas or New Year’s Eve are standard Chinese holidays, the city, as always, embraces the opportunity to shop. celebrate and feast in style, Hong Kong has over the years become a magnet for visitors eager to enjoy the seasonal delights throughout November and December.
From special festive menus to massive New Year’s Eve parties and striking seasonal attractions, Hong Kong is littered with fabulous things to see and do. At its centre is the WinterFest, a series of events sponsored by the Hong Kong Tourism Board which kicks-off late November and runs daily until the New Year.
WinterFest includes light shows and concerts as well as a host of sponsored themed shopping and dining experiences. To get the best views of the Christmas lights be sure to sign up for a walking tour, or if you want a more relaxed experience, check out the festive cruises around Victoria Harbour, one of the city’s most iconic landmarks.
If Victoria Harbour’s nightly Symphony of Lights show wasn’t already impressive enough, during the Christmas and New Year period it gets more lights, more glamour and is even more spectacular. Dine and cruise packages vary from the snack-and-see to sublime wine-and-dine experiences that take in the show and enjoy a serene cruise viewing the city lights.
Running from 1st to 28th December one of the most recent and already extremely popular family events is the Pulse 3D light show at Harbourfront in Kowloon. The eight-minute show is repeated regularly through the evening from around 8pm until 9.40pm. Attracting huge crowds, the show is naturally accompanied by street theatre and hawkers selling everything from toffee-apples to mulled wines.
Add to this the amazing decorations throughout the city’s malls, the massive light displays on the exterior of many towering office blocks, often innovative street decorations, seasonal music, food and the full-on street party at Lan Kwai Fong, Christmas in the city is a bold, noisy and just-so-wonderfully Hong Kong affair.
Away from the city at Disneyland Hong Kong, from mid-November, the entire park is transformed into a winter wonderland full of holiday cheer, dazzling lights, fluffy snow, and seasonal decorations and shows and, of course, your favourite Disney characters.
The New Year’s Eve celebrations are just as dramatic and equally popular with gala dinners and countdown events held just about everywhere. For a public spectacle join the huge street party in Lan Kwai Fong that goes on well into the small hours or head back to the harbour and watch the countdown followed by a stunning fireworks display.
