Mid-Autumn festivities light up Hong Kong as Tai Hang Fire Dragon heads to Victoria Park

This year’s Mid-Autumn Festival falls on September 25, a Friday and the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar. The public holiday will be observed on September 26, a Saturday. With the following day being Sunday and the National Day holiday on October 1 just a few days later, many people are expected to take leave to create an extended break, celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day back to back.

Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance: century-old tradition over three nights

The most iconic spectacle this year remains the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, a tradition with more than a century of history. Originating in the 1880s, when villagers staged it to ward off disease, the practice was added to the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011. This year’s performances will take place over three consecutive nights from September 24 to 26, from about 7.30pm to 10.30pm each evening, along Wun Sha Street in Tai Hang through to Causeway Bay Road. A troupe of nearly 300 performers will carry the 67-metre-long dragon, covered in incense sticks, through the streets. The smoke, fragrance and flames create one of the city’s most striking Mid-Autumn scenes. On the night of the festival itself, September 25, the dragon will also make its way into Victoria Park, giving visitors and residents there a close-up view of this local ritual.

Victoria Park hosts first International Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival

The highlight at Victoria Park this year is the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s first International Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival, running from September 17 to October 4 and covering almost the entire Mid-Autumn and National Day holiday period. The centrepiece is “Tree Shadows and Flowing Light”, an approximately eight-metre-high banyan tree lantern installation created by a Qinhuai lantern-making team from Nanjing. It combines intangible cultural heritage craftsmanship with modern lighting effects and can be viewed from all 360 degrees. The “World Lantern Street” will feature more than 3,000 festive lanterns from over 20 countries and regions, alongside more than 1,000 traditional Hong Kong hand-crafted lanterns, bringing together festive traditions from East and West. On the festival day and the surrounding days, from September 24 to 27, the lights will remain on until midnight to allow people more time to enjoy the displays.

Lee Tung Avenue and the Blue House: a different kind of light in old communities

Elsewhere in Wan Chai, Lee Tung Avenue will present “Lanterns to Welcome the Moon” this year. More than 800 lanterns will line the 200-metre tree-lined avenue, which will for the first time depict Mid-Autumn folk tales in a paper-cutting style. On the night of September 25, an 18-metre LED fire dragon featuring colourful light effects will return to Lee Tung Avenue after a year’s absence, recreating the local intangible cultural heritage symbol through technology. The Blue House cluster on Stone Nullah Lane is taking a nostalgic approach. More than 700 hand-painted lanterns will be lit every evening from now until October 14, while charity stalls selling handmade goods will operate from September 24 to 26, adding a touch of warmth to the old tenement buildings under the lights.

A reminder

This year’s Mid-Autumn Festival falls at the start of an extended holiday period. The National Day “golden week” follows immediately after the Mid-Autumn break, and the lantern exhibition at Victoria Park has deliberately been extended into the National Day holiday, linking visitor flows for the two festivals to some extent. Anyone planning to visit Tai Hang or Victoria Park at the weekend for photographs is advised to avoid the crowds around the start and end of the fire dragon performances. Visitors should also check venue restrictions on items such as open-flame lanterns and glass bottles. Planning transport in advance will make the trip considerably easier.