Where do we go now? Chinese New Year events and their impact on Hong Kong, told in graphics

Time off work in busy Hong Kong can be spent in many ways, here’s how

Lunar New Year

Daniel Moss

Published: 2:00am, 4 Feb 2016

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For the observant, CNY means going home and spending a long time with family. It’s usually been spookily quiet in Hong Kong in the past, but it’s getting busier. Many Hongkongers opt to spend more time with family and some shops will close for the period, but major attractions are likely to be busy. Some of the more exciting things planned over the holiday are the Sha Tin races, a Hong Kong Football Association soccer match, the 23-minute CNY fireworks display over Victoria Harbour, a street parade through Kowloon with lion dances and an open-air market selling food and knick-knacks at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay.

Some of the top attractions over CNY, mapped

Travel

The lure of a long weekend gives many the travel bug, and in the two days leading up to CNY Hongkongers jet off for a holiday, according to leading travel websites which have released their top searches for airfares during the period.

Victoria Park market

A typical scene at the Lunar New Year market held at Victoria Park, where crowds pack in to browse the stalls. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Held in the week leading up to the new year, coveted plots at this market are auctioned off in November and have some surprise items that are not necessarily related to the New Year customs for sale. Although it’s known for typical Hong Kong foods it has some surprises as well. Political parties have set up stalls to sell icons of Hong Kong’s activism, like toilet paper with Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s head printed on it, and this year, banned books that were at the centre of the missing booksellers story.

Get around the guide:

		The myths of Chinese New Year
		Where do I fit in?
		Where do we go now? Chinese New Year events
		The celebration of Chinese New Year

The annual parade

On the first day of CNY performers and floats will go down a set route from the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui to finish outside the Sheraton Hotel.

The fireworks over Victoria Harbour

For most the fireworks will be the centrepiece of CNY, and with such a spectacle – plans for the show include monkey faces in the sky above Victoria Harbour – it’s no doubt going to be impressive. The show kicks off at the auspicious hour of 8pm on the second day of the new year and will let off about 4.5 tonnes of fireworks.

WATCH: Chinese New Year fireworks blast over Victoria Harbour

Get around the guide:

		The myths of Chinese New Year
		Where do I fit in?
		Where do we go now? Chinese New Year events
		The celebration of Chinese New Year

The soccer

On the second day of the new year the Hong Kong Football Association will hold its annual Lunar New Year Cup. While it has been held since the 1950s, its future is uncertain but will go on in 2016.

The Chinese New Year horse races

Held at Sha Tin racecourse, the CNY race meeting is among the most wagered upon on Earth. It is usually on the third day of the new year and attracts billions in bets.

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