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Header image courtesy of Lee Tung Avenue
One of the things Hong Kong knows how to do best is festive displays, and Mid-Autumn Festival showcases some of the fanciest ones. From traditional lantern displays to modern interpretations of festive symbols, there’s plenty to look at across the city! With the Mid-Autumn Festival on the horizon, can you think of a better way to indulge in the festivities than admiring a few gorgeous displays? Here’s a handy list of where to see them around Hong Kong this Mid-Autumn Festival.
With an impressive track record of showing breathtaking and beautiful displays, Lee Tung Avenue once again offers city dwellers a unique experience this Mid-Autumn Festival. This year, the “Moon Fest Lumiere” lights up the iconic pathway with over eight hundred Chinese lanterns, immersing visitors in a vibrant wonderland.
Also returning for this year’s festivities is the “LED Fire Dragon Fiesta,” where performers showcase a traditional dragon with an 18-metre-long dragon puppet decorated with alluring lights. For those who are interested in learning more about this tradition, a series of dragon dance experience workshops will be held in the run-up to Mid-Autumn Festival. The “Under the Moon” charity pop-up, also a part of this year’s celebrations, features a series of stalls selling handmade festive products alongside hosting a lantern-making workshop. Learn more about the event schedule and how to participate on Lee Tung Avenue’s website.
When: Now till 23 October
Where: Lee Tung Avenue, 200 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai
Discovery Bay is celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival with an adorable display of “Glowing Bunnies” around the neighbourhood! Visitors can find a colourful fluffle gathered on the lawn just outside DB Plaza, setting the scene for festive moongazing. Come prepared with your camera and strike a pose with your favourite bunny! Your best shot makes you eligible to enter a photo competition where you stand the chance to win a range of fabulous prizes! Learn more about other festive promotions and special dining offers available at DB Plaza on the website.
When: Now till 8 October
Where: DB Plaza, 1 Discovery Bay Road, Discovery Bay, Lantau Island
Head over to Lake House this Mid-Autumn Festival for a romantic time spent under the stars. This year, Lake House complements its elegant European architecture with a stunning display named “Dear Luna,” with illuminated paper rabbits blending into the building’s surrounding nature. Visitors can enjoy the festivities in a intimate environment while gazing upon the 10-metre-tall full moon installed at the centre of the lake. Guests can also release wishing lanterns and embark on a moon-viewing boat tour. Learn more on the Lake House website.
When: Now till 2 October
Where: Lake House, 2 Hung Lam Drive, Tai Po Kau, Tai Po
This year, an interactive and mesmerising light display takes over the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza. Titled “The Moon Machine,” the exhibition draws inspiration from mythical tales related to the alluring mystique of the moon, including the legendary Jade Rabbit and moon goddess Chang’e—both associated with Mid-Autumn Festival. Step into the moon pit and immerse yourself in whimsical domes of light!
When: Now till 8 October
Where: Piazza, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department is hosting three lantern carnivals this Mid-Autumn Festival, each curated to a specific theme.
At Victoria Park, you can walk through a sea of vibrant lanterns boasting traditional designs that represent the four seasons, making your way to the giant lantern that resembles a traditional flower board—a large banner used in various rituals and celebrations. Visitors will find a wide range of activities dedicated to local culture scattered around the park, including dragon dances, lantern riddles, handicraft stations, as well as Cantonese opera being performed in a traditional bamboo theatre.
Over at Sha Tin Park, visitors will be surprised to find the area transformed into a lively festive carnival. Centred around gathering and reunion, the adorable animal-shaped lanterns at Sha Tin Park are purposely family-friendly this year. Learn more about festive handicrafts at dedicated stations or test your cleverness with a lantern riddle. A series of live performances contributes to the festive fervour.
Finally, at Tuen Mun Park, the Mid-Autumn displays take inspiration from the park’s elegant lotus pond. You can walk among a series of lanterns boasting designs of blooming flowers and fluttering butterflies while you indulge in the festivities.
When: Now till 2 October
Where: Victoria Park, 1 Hing Fat Street, Causeway Bay
Sha Tin Park, 2 Yuen Wo Road, Sha Tin
Tuen Mun Park, Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road, Tuen Mun
The ever-popular Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance Parade returns to Hong Kong this Mid-Autumn Festival. As well as being a vibrant festive spectacle, the dance also represents a long-standing local tradition. As legend has it, a serpent causing disturbance was killed in Tai Hang Village in 1880. Soon after the serpent died, a plague spread across the village. Guanyin visited an elder in his dreams, giving him the answer to rid the village of this plague. On his suggestion, villagers performed a fire dragon dance and burned firecrackers on the day of Mid-Autumn Festival. Guanyin’s plan worked, and since then, Tai Hang inhabitants have upheld the tradition.
This year, the dance begins at the intersection of Ormsby Street and Sun Chun Street, before travelling around the area south of Tung Lo Wan Road. While visitors can encounter the parade anywhere within this area, the best viewing point will be from Wun Sha Street. After witnessing the parade, don’t forget to admire the lantern decorations located at the intersection of Tung Lo Wan Road and Tin Hau Temple Road.
When: 28–29 September
Where: Tai Hang, Causeway Bay
This Mid-Autumn Festival, handmade market host Life Mart is collaborating with Jao Tsung-I Academy in order to bring a one-of-a-kind night market to city dwellers. Located in Jao Tsung-I Academy’s historic buildings, visitors will find a series of festive-themed items for sale. Guests can also look forward to the first-ever lantern festival held at the academy, where nineteenth-century architecture will be complemented by a sea of vibrant paper lanterns and a wishing pond. The academy will also be hosting a series of cultural workshops and experiences over the duration of the night market.
When: 29 September–2 October
Where: Jao Tsung-I Academy, 800 Castle Peak Road, Lai Chi Kok
Pair your moongazing with quality live music at the Kennedy Town Night Market and Music Festival! Located along the scenic harbourfront, visitors can browse through stalls displaying items for sale by local brands, gourmet offerings, and handcrafted goodies before engaging in a series of festive workshops and games on offer. A line-up of local talents will be performing live at the market, adding appropriate ambience to your festive browsing experience.
When: 29 September–2 October
Where: Kennedy Town Waterfront, 3 Shing Sai Road, Kennedy Town
The Lantern Festival is returning to the streets of Tai O this year! Visitors can expect to find over eight hundred hand-decorated lanterns displayed along the historic streets of the small island town. Each year, the local organisation Tai O Fei Mao Li gathers citizens from across Hong Kong to partake in lantern-decorating workshops, with the finished masterpieces all contributing to the village-wide display. Head over to Tai O this Mid-Autumn for a mesmerising celebration!
When: Now till 30 September
Where: Tai O, Lantau Island
If you want to bring home a traditional lantern, you can head over to Tai Kiu Market in Yuen Long! As is tradition in Yuen Long, one of the market streets is transformed into a “Lantern Street.” Visitors will find themselves surrounded by paper lanterns of all kinds and from all sides—even the ceiling is covered with lanterns. This custom quite simply came into practice when one incense shop owner decided to sell handmade paper lanterns one year, and the rest is history. Come and stroll through the sea of lanterns this festive season—but also be prepared to get slightly squashed, as this tiny street attracts quite the crowd!
When: Now till 30 September
Where: Tai Kiu Market, G/F, 2 Kiu Lok Square, Yuen Long
Why not celebrate the festive season at Hong Kong’s iconic Ferris wheel? This year, a Mid-Autumn Festival night market will be held at the AIA Vitality Park and will feature impressive lantern displays, traditional game stalls, local lifestyle brands’ stalls, as well as a selection of cooked food stations to keep you fuelled while you’re celebrating—all accompanied by quality live music, in true Central Harbourfront style.
When: 29 September–2 October
Where: Hong Kong Observation Wheel and AIA Vitality Park, 33 Man Kwong Street, Central
Born and raised in Hong Kong and educated in the UK, Celia is passionate about culture, food, and different happenings in the city. When she’s not busy writing, you can find her scouting for new and trendy restaurants, getting lost in a bookstore, or baking up a storm at home.
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