Lunar New Year fireworks set to return to Hong Kong after 4-year hiatus
- Show in Victoria Harbour will last 23 minutes and feature eight distinctive scenes
- Three barges moored in harbour to shoot off 23,888 firework shells ‘to shower all residents with a glittering of blessings’, show sponsor says
Pyrotechnics in the shape of gold ingots, dragon eggs and other festive designs will light up Victoria Harbour next month as Hong Kong’s Lunar New Year fireworks are set to return after a four-year hiatus.
The Hong Kong Celebrations Association, the sponsor of the show, on Friday said three barges moored in Victoria Harbour would shoot off 23,888 firework shells “to shower all citizens with a glittering mass of blessings” on February 11, to mark the Year of the Dragon.
The 23-minute show will stretch 850 metres (2,789 feet) across the harbour and feature eight distinctive scenes in a “showcase of Chinese culture” designed to “enhance the festive vibes”.
The association said the event would also serve as a “prologue” to celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China later this year.
“The fireworks display will once again light up the night sky of Victoria Harbor after four years,” said Tam Kam-kau, the chairman of the association. “In addition to bringing New Year blessings to all Hong Kong residents and tourists, the strong festive atmosphere of liveliness and joy can also attract residents to go out and play.”
Hongkongers were last treated to the fireworks display in 2019 to mark the Year of the Pig. The 2020 edition was called off due to months of social unrest, while subsequent shows were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The return of the Lunar New Year show marks the latest in a series of annual firework displays making their post-pandemic comeback.
To ring in 2024, the city staged its “biggest and longest” New Year’s Eve fireworks show, drawing 479,000 people to the harbour to watch the 12-minute display which stretched 1.3km from Central to Causeway Bay.
But the event sparked controversy when thousands of mainland Chinese visitors were left stranded at border control points after watching the show, as the city saw its largest influx of inbound travellers in a single day for the whole of 2023.
The government has vowed to prevent a repeat of the transport chaos, announcing earlier this week that the Shenzhen Bay checkpoint would remain open for 24 hours from February 9 to 13.
420,000 set to watch New Year’s Eve fireworks at Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour
The Lo Wu control point, which is connected to the East Rail line, will also remain open until 2am on February 9 and 11.
Event organisers said the February show would be bigger than last year’s National Day fireworks.
Last October, more than 430,000 residents flocked to either side of the harbour for the first National Day fireworks show in five years, which lasted for 23 minutes.
Wilson Mao Wai-shing, the CEO of Pyromagic Multi-media Productions, said his team had carried out a series of tests at a factory in Hunan province to ensure the designs, such as the ingots and a series of giant figure-eights, would be displayed correctly during the show.
Synchronised music for the show will be broadcast on the radio and it will be visible from many sides of the harbour including Tsim Sha Tsui, Central, the Mid-Levels and the Hung Hom bypass.
