Top Festivals To Visit In Hong Kong | Bharti AXA

You are sure to have a great time while visiting Hong Kong during festival time. Like India, Hong Kong too celebrates festivals with a lot of lights, colour and cheer, bringing together families and friends.

All festivals in Hong Kong are timed in accordance with the lunar calendar which means they are celebrated on full moon days. Here are the top festivals in Hong Kong’s annual events calendar.

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year usually falls sometime in February-March. It is the biggest and most grand festival celebrated across Hong Kong. This is when the entire city lights up in festive spirit for three days and Hong Kongers go all out to celebrate the New Year. You will get to see and experience a special look of the city if you happen to be visiting Hong Kong during Chinese New Year. The high point of the celebrations is the spectacular fireworks display over Victoria Harbour and a traditional parade which you absolutely must not miss.  

Dragon Boat Festival

This festival is loads of fun! It is held around May-June all along Victoria Harbour and Stanley. As the name suggests Dragon Boat Festival is a boat race of bright and colourfully adorned Chinese dragon boats. You must make it a point to join in the excitement of cheering your favourite team at this one-of-a-kind festival. The racing teams are not only from Hong Kong but from all around the world. The entire event has a great vibe and feels more like one big international beach party!

Cheung Chau Bun Festival

If you happen to be in Hong Kong around early May, in time to witness the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, just take a short ferry ride to the lovely island of Cheung Chau – the venue for this crazy and unique event. Hong Kongers reveal their whacky side at this extravaganza marked by lion dances, lively parades, the bun scrambling contest and of course the massive bamboo towers covered with handmade buns.
 

Mid-Autumn Festival

Mid-Autumn festival, also known as Moon Festival is considered the second biggest festival in Hong Kong after Chinese New Year. Originally celebrated as a harvest festival, nowadays you will find families and friends in Hong Kong gather to enjoy Mid-Autumn Festival more as a cultural event.

It is celebrated with traditional fervour on a full moon day around September-October each year. Everywhere you look you can see beautifully lit lanterns, fire dragon dances on the streets and people feasting on traditional mooncakes.

Lantern carnivals are also an integral part of the Mid-Autumn festival. You can head to Victoria Park to marvel at the variety of colourful lanterns in different shapes or watch the many cultural performances featuring martial arts, dances, craft making and even acrobatics.

Plan your trip to Hong Kong such that you can enjoy at least one of these festivals. Before your trip, make sure you have travel insurance for Hong Kong. This is as important as getting your passport and Hong Kong Visa in place since having insurance protects you in case of any theft, loss, damage or trip cancellation. You can purchase an international travel insurance policy online at your convenience to suit your needs.  

Food is an important part of festivals. Why not try some authentic Cantonese dishes while in Hong Kong.