Hong Kong Hosts International Lantern Spectacular at Victoria Park, Featuring Nanjing’s Qinhuai Craftsmanship

Hong Kong Tourism Board will stage its first-ever International Lantern Spectacular at Victoria Park from September 17 to 27, bringing Nanjing's Qinhuai lantern craftsmanship to the city for the first time and running alongside the government's long-standing Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival at the same park.

The centerpiece is four giant lanterns built by Qinhuai craftsmen, whose lantern-making tradition holds national intangible cultural heritage status in mainland China. The tallest, an eight-metre installation called "Shadowlight" inspired by Hong Kong's banyan trees, anchors the park's main entrance. The other three are named "Lotus Fish," "Dragon Gate" and "Moonlit Lotus."

Around them, the World Lantern Boulevard will display more than 3,000 lanterns from 20 countries and regions, including silk pieces from South Korea's Jinju region, Brazilian patchwork designs and Polish paper-cut crafts, the tourism board said. A separate Hong Kong Lantern Galleria at the park's Hill Knoll Pavilion will show more than 400 locally handcrafted lanterns shaped like rabbits, star fruit and goldfish.

Mason Hung Chung-hing, the tourism board's lead advisor for event and product development, said the board has no fixed visitor forecast for the debut event but expects strong turnout, pointing to the September travel period and the approaching Golden Week holiday, the Standard reported. He said crowd-control measures would apply mainly on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival itself, September 25.

Installations will be lit nightly from 6:30pm to 11pm, extended to midnight on September 25. From September 17 to 20, mooncake stalls run with charity Po Leung Kuk will sell regional varieties, including Shanghai-Suzhou and Chiuchow styles, with proceeds going to the charity.

The lantern show adds to an already packed Mid-Autumn calendar in the neighborhood. The Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, a separate tradition recognized on China's national list of intangible cultural heritage since 2011, runs September 24 to 26 a short walk from Victoria Park, with a 67-metre incense-covered dragon paraded by roughly 300 performers.

Hong Kong's Mid-Autumn Festival public holiday falls on September 26 this year.