“[The National Day] fireworks were massive,” the IT worker said. “This was more budget-style. There were no big ones.”

But Zhuang said he felt the crowd control and traffic arrangements overall were better than at previous displays, making it easier for him to navigate the area with his two small children.

The Post observed police officers setting up barricades and limiting pedestrian access around the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade starting from 6pm.

“It was easier for us, otherwise it would have been too crowded,” Zhuang said.

The 10-minute fireworks display featured patterns such as the letters “HK” shooting up to 100 metres (328 feet) into the night sky, set to the music of the daily “Symphony of Lights” multimedia show.

The HK$1 million (US$128,000) display was also the first of planned pyrotechnics shows expected to be held monthly until at least the end of this year, including Christmas.

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The Lunar New Year show in February, by comparison, included 23,888 fireworks soaring into the sky across 23 minutes at a cost of HK$13 million.

Xie Guangyao, a 41-year-old IT worker visiting the city from Beijing, said he was surprised the government was planning to hold such events every month.

“I think if it’s bigger it would be better,” he said. “This one is so small.”

Ada Kwok, an 18-year-old Hongkonger who just wrapped up her Diploma of Secondary Education exams, also said the show could be improved.

She said the last fireworks she saw were at Hong Kong Disneyland, which she thought featured better music while also displaying projections on the main castle.

The Labour Day fireworks were not as impressive, she said, adding: “Overall I think it’s good but it could be better.”

But others in the crowd were more appreciative.

“I think it’s very small but it’s still OK,” said Yvonne Zeng Yafang, 38, who had arrived in the city in the morning from Guangzhou with her family.

Zeng said they had spent most of the day exploring, so they were quite tired and glad to be able to sit down and watch the show.

“It was very beautiful,” said Mia, her 11-year-old daughter.

Earlier in the day, there had been concerns that the weather could force the cancellation of the show, with officials previously warning it could be called off at the last minute.

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But the Tourism Board said at 4pm the latest weather forecast suggested the event could carry on as planned. The Observatory had forecast squally thunderstorms and occasional showers on Wednesday.

Chengdu couple Qi Lei, 23, and Zhang Bi Ying, 24, were visiting for the first time and said they would watch the fireworks on their only night in the city.

The pair, who arrived at the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade at around 4pm, came prepared with umbrellas but said they were not concerned about the weather ruining their night.

“We have seen the forecast and it says it’s not going to rain, so we are not too worried about it,” said Qi, who works for a state-owned construction company.

Police set up traffic measures in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Central, Wan Chai and Eastern districts for the display. By 8.30pm, many of the pedestrian control measures set up around the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade area had been lifted.

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A shopping festival organised by the Yau Tsim Mong District Office and council, offering discounts from 2,200 businesses, including malls, hotels and restaurants in Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok was also being run in tandem with the golden week celebrations.

Last week, immigration officials predicted that the first day of the break would see peak travel at land border crossings.

About 1 million trips in and out of the city were expected to be made on Wednesday alone, they said.

Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu earlier said the city could log 5.9 million arrivals and departures over the holiday, adding that at least 800,000 mainland visitors were expected to visit.