Experiencing Mid-Autumn Festival Like a Local in Hong Kong

Discover Hong Kong’s most cherished Mid-Autumn traditions—from the first ever International Lantern Spectacular and legendary Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance to vibrant citywide festive offerings and cultural experiences

LONDON, Oct. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hong Kong invites visitors to step into the heart of the Mid-Autumn Festival through a citywide celebration of light, heritage, and togetherness. From spectacular lantern artistry and living cultural traditions to citywide festive offerings and seasonal flavours across the city, Hong Kong is transformed into a vibrant showcase of one of its most cherished annual celebrations. 

The programme featured the International Lantern Spectacular, organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) in Victoria Park, alongside the historic Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance and a variety of seasonal experiences that allow visitors to celebrate just like locals.  

The City’s Brightest Celebration 

Centred on the theme of “Reunion”, the first-ever International Lantern Spectacular at Victoria Park brought together distinctive lanterns from 20 countries and regions, thousand-year-old Qinhuai lanterns from Nanjing recognised as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage, and locally handcrafted lanterns from Hong Kong. Together with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department’s (LCSD) Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival, also held at Victoria Park, HKTB’s International Lantern Spectacular welcomed visitors and locals to immerse themselves in dazzling lantern displays from across the globe, offering a world-class Mid-Autumn experience found only in Hong Kong.

An Immersive Global Cultural Journey through Chinese & International Lanterns

Visitors and locals strolled through the International Lantern Spectacular, discovering three major showcases of Chinese and international lantern art while enjoying an immersive celebration of diverse cultures.

World Lantern Boulevard
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• World Lantern Boulevard: A Cultural Exploration Across Borders
  
  Stepping onto the World Lantern Boulevard, locals and visitors were surrounded by over 3,000 distinctive lanterns from 20 countries and regions – including silk lanterns from Jinju in South Korea, traditionally made to wish family members health and wellbeing; multicoloured patchwork lanterns from Brazil, radiating warmth and energy; and Polish lanterns incorporating traditional folk paper-cutting techniques. A stroll along the Boulevard feels like travelling the world in an instant, with lantern works woven from different styles, crafts and cultural elements offering a glimpse of the distinctive folk customs and artistic appeal of each place. Bringing together lanterns from all corners of the globe in a single promenade, the display not only celebrated cultural diversity but also reflects Hong Kong's diversity and inclusion, sharing the joy of festive reunion with visitors from around the world.

Shadowlight
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• Nanjing Qinhuai Lanterns, a National Intangible Cultural Heritage: Admiring a Millennium of Traditional Artistry
  
  With a history of more than 1,700 years, Nanjing’s Qinhuai lantern craftsmanship is internationally renowned and inscribed on China's National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. HKTB has invited a Qinhuai lantern-making team from Nanjing to create four tailor-made giant Qinhuai lanterns for the Spectacular. Qinhuai lantern-making follows four intricate processes: frame-making, mounting, painting and paper-cutting. Renowned for their translucent, vibrant colours and rich cultural symbolism, the lanterns showcase traditional folk culture and express aspirations for a better life.
  
  At centre stage was the Shadowlight, a giant themed lantern standing eight metre tall at the main entrance to Victoria Park. Inspired by Hong Kong’s iconic banyan trees, visitors and locals weave among its glittering light and shadow, while a canopy of layered coloured gauze offered three-dimensional form to the tree’s luxuriant growth. The flourishing canopy and cascading aerial roots symbolise Hong Kong’s global connectivity and warm welcome to visitors and locals alike to gather and experience the city’s appeal as Asia’s Events Capital.
  
  Another highlight, Lotus Fish, featuring rows of giant lotus leaves in neat formation, with lifelike, brightly coloured carp darting nimbly through the play of light and shadows. Visitors and locals can stroll between the rows, taking in the lively scene of fish at play among the lotus leaves on either side.

Lotus Fish
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Echoing the theme of “Reunion”, several lanterns incorporated circular elements symbolising harmony and togetherness, creating memorable settings for visitors and locals to gather with loved ones and capture festive moments. Among them will be two distinctive Nanjing Qinhuai lanterns. Dragon Gate will feature a pair of carp leaping from the water, with their graceful curves meeting to form a circle, symbolising fulfilment and good fortune. Above the lotus pond at the Model Boat Pool, Moonlit Lotus, crowned by a spectacular seven-metre-tall moon lantern and mirrored by the glowing lotus lanterns on the water below, invited everyone to gather beneath the same full moon.

Dragon Gate
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Moonlit Lotus
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• Hong Kong Lantern Galleria: A Salute to Local Craftsmanship
  
  At Victoria Park’s Hill Knoll Pavilion, Hong Kong Lantern Galleria featured over 400 classic Hong Kong handcrafted. Traditional lantern shapes including rabbit, star fruit, and goldfish lanterns hang overhead, wove a scene as colourful and spectacular as “Lantern Street” at Yuen Long’s Tai Kiu Market, capturing the rich local flavour of a Hong Kong Mid-Autumn.

Hong Kong Lantern Galleria
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Ambient light decorations threaded through the lantern zones and every corner of Victoria Park, leading visitors and locals into an immersive festive night-time experience.

Witness Living Heritage in Motion Under the Full Moon 

Mid-Autumn in Hong Kong would not be complete without the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, now in its 147^th edition and inscribed on China’s National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. 

The time-honoured tradition saw a 67-metre fire dragon, illuminated by 12,000 incense sticks, weave through the streets of Tai Hang in a choreographed journey powered by the collective energy of performers. Accompanied by the fragrance of incense and the rhythm of drums, the dance is widely believed to spread blessings and good fortune. Visitors not only witness the performance, but were part of the atmosphere, fully experiencing the intensity, excitement and shared spirit of the night. After the dance, the tradition continued as performers shared burning incense sticks with spectators—turning visitors into participants through a gesture of goodwill. 

Celebrate Mid-Autumn the Hong Kong Way 

Through the autumn, festival spectacles and neighbourhood traditions light up the city, creating a celebration that reaches far beyond any single venue. Visitors can journey from world-class lantern artistry to centuries-old living heritage, while exploring Mid- Autumn theme activities, shopping and dining offer, large- scale lantern installations, and seasonal food markets presented by shopping centres and merchants across Hong Kong.

Discover your Mid-Autumn getaway at: https://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/events/mid-autumn-festival.html   

For more information, please visit: www.discoverhongkong.com 

For press enquiries: hongkong@pc.agency  

About the Hong Kong Tourism Board  
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is a government-subvented body. Operating 15 offices around the world and representative offices in seven markets, its mission is to maximise the social and economic contribution of tourism to Hong Kong and consolidate the city’s position as a world-class destination. The HKTB works closely with the government, travel industry and partners to promote Hong Kong worldwide, widen the range of tourism products, elevate service standards and enhance the visitor experience. 

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