Discover Hong Kong's Top 10 Festivals and Events
Hong Kong Celebrations You Won’t Find Anywhere Else
Hong Kong festivals and events are often lavish affairs with street parades, packed temples, traditional music and dance performances. Chinese New Year is the most important celebration in Hong Kong and many Asian countries, but the city also has plenty of unique festivals you might not find elsewhere.
Buddhist and Taoist events are observed according to the lunar calendar, which means that the dates shift on a yearly basis. Some of Hong Kong’s biggest festivals usually take place in January or February (Chinese New Year), May, and October. It’s best to book your flights and accommodations far in advance as prices tend to soar during these months.
1. February: Chinese New Year
One of the most significant festivals in Hong Kong
Good for: Couples, Families
Chinese New Year is one of the biggest celebrations in Hong Kong (and China), as this spring festival brings new hopes for the coming year. It’s a time for family reunion dinners and visiting the homes of close friends and relatives.
Red symbolizes good luck and is found everywhere, from paper lanterns and incense sticks to clothes and jewelry. Of course, wearing black or dark colors is frowned upon in many traditional Chinese households. A common practice during Chinese New Year is young children and unmarried people receiving red packets from their elders and married relatives. These packets, called ang pow, contain money. The amount varies but often ends with an even digit.
February: Chinese New Year
2. February: Birthday of Che Kung
Features temple visits and rituals to pay respects to the revered general
Good for: History, Photo
The Birthday of Che Kung is celebrated on the 3rd day of the 1st lunar month. On this day, you’ll see thousands of people at the Che Kung Temple in the New Territories. Che Kung was a renowned military commander during the Sung Dynasty (960–1277). Devotees have been faithfully praying to him for centuries, ever since he saved the inhabitants of Sha Tin Valley from a devastating plague.
People visit Che Kung Temples (especially in Sha Tin) to pray for safety, success, and to ward off misfortune. A central ritual involves spinning large fortune-changing pinwheels clockwise for good luck or counter-clockwise to change bad luck. Devotees also shake containers to draw sticks, which fortune tellers interpret for their future. Read more
February: Birthday of Che Kung
3. Late-February: Spring Lantern Festival
Marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations
Good for: Families, Food, Photo
The Spring Lantern Festival takes place on the last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations, usually end of February or early March. You’ll see colorful lanterns of various shapes and sizes everywhere in Hong Kong, along the streets, in parks, homes, markets, hotels, and restaurants. The festival is also called Chinese Valentine’s Day and often sees singles participating in matchmaking games throughout the day.
Colorful lanterns light the way for good fortune, while families eat tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) for reunion and solve lantern riddles. It’s a joyous time for family gatherings, reaffirming bonds, seeking peace, and welcoming spring after the long winter celebrations.
Late-February: Spring Lantern Festival
4. April: Qingming Festival
A day for honoring ancestors, involving tomb-sweeping rituals
Good for: Families, Unusual
Qingming Festival is a time for a show of filial piety for one’s dearly departed. Also called Tomb Sweeping Day, this tradition is practiced by the Han Chinese of Hong Kong (and Asian countries like Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore).
Locals pay visits to the graves of family members to sweep the burial sites, decorating them with colorful, fresh flowers. Joss papers and paper models of luxury items are also burned for the dead to use in the afterlife. People burn incense to show respect, pray for blessings, and connect with family heritage, blending traditional ancestor worship with spring renewal.
April: Qingming Festival
5. Late-April: Birthday of Tin Hau
Celebrated by the fishing communities, honoring the sea goddess
Good for: Budget, Photo
Tin Hau is known as the Goddess of the Sea and is worshipped at over 70 temples in Hong Kong honor the event. Her birthday is said to fall on the 23rd day of the 3rd lunar month, with street processions, lion dances, and dance performances taking place throughout the day. It’s one of the best times of the year for local fishermen to pray for prosperity, good weather and safety at sea.
In temples, worshippers offer incense, joss sticks, and special talismans at Tin Hau temples, especially the oldest one at Joss House Bay. The Fa Pau (Floral Cannons) spectacle of large paper flowers represents offerings, are a unique and iconic part of the celebration.
Late-April: Birthday of Tin Hau
6. May: Cheung Chau Bun Festival
A unique cultural event with the Bun Scrambling Competition
Good for: Photo, Unusual
Cheung Chau Bun Festival is held in honor of the deity Pak Tai, who drove away evil spirits from the island. The festival takes place over the course of a week (during the 4th lunar month) on the island of Cheung Chau in Hong Kong.
The usually quiet island receives thousands of visitors during this annual event, which consists of Taoist ceremonies, lion dances, and games. The festival’s most unique feature is a gigantic tower of sweet buns, where 12 participants selected from preliminary competitions race against each other to grab the ones on the highest level.
May: Cheung Chau Bun Festival
7. Mid-June: Dragon Boat Festival
Celebrated for its dragon boat races and cultural activities
Good for: Budget, History, Photo
The Dragon Boat Festival sees exciting boat races taking place near Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. The annual event dates back over 2,000 years to honor Qu Yuan, a Chinese patriot who drowned himself to protest against corruption among officials. It’s said that villagers beat drums from their boats and threw dumplings into the sea so that the fish wouldn’t eat Qu Yuan’s body.
The Dragon Boat Festival is typically held in mid-June, attracting people from all over the world who would cheer for their favorite teams. It’s also when the Chinese indulge in bak chang (meat-and-rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves). Read more
Mid-June: Dragon Boat Festival
8. August: Hungry Ghost Festival
A traditional festival focused on appeasing the spirits of the deceased
Good for: Couples, Families, Unusual
Hong Kong’s Hungry Ghost Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, usually in August or September. The Chinese believe that the dead are released from the underworld once a year. Parks and public spaces are often packed with people burning incense and paper money, as well as offering food along the streets.
Some spots have temporary stages showcasing live Chinese opera and Chiu Chow-style dramas. The first few rows of seats are left empty for wandering ghosts to sit and enjoy the performances. Locals also avoid staying out late throughout the month-long event to avoid bumping into paranormal beings.
August: Hungry Ghost Festival
9. September: Mid-Autumn Festival
One of the major traditional festivals, known for mooncakes and lanterns
Good for: Food, History
The Chinese celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with beautiful lantern displays and carnivals illuminating the streets of Hong Kong. It’s also a time for enjoying sweet pastries called mooncakes. The original version consists of a salted egg yolk and lotus seed paste encased in a crust, but you’ll also find a wide range of fillings in flavors like chocolate, vanilla, and green tea.
Mooncakes are eaten by the Chinese to remember the successful uprising of the Chinese people against the ruling Mongols. The call to arms was written on pieces of paper hidden in the mooncakes and passed to every household during the tumultuous period.
September: Mid-Autumn Festival
10. October: Chung Yeung Festival
Ancestral worship and hiking
Good for: Families, History
Chung Yeung Festival is a day to remember and respect one’s ancestors. According to local legend, it’s said that a prophet advised a man to take his family to a high place on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month. It was discovered that everyone in his village were slaughtered while they were kept safe thanks to his words.
Also known as Autumn Remembrance, Chung Yeung Festival sees families gathering at cemeteries to pay respects to their ancestors. Many also enjoy hikes to Hong Kong’s many vantage points, as it’s believed to bring good luck to the family.
October: Chung Yeung Festival
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