Experience Mid-Autumn Festival Like a Local in Hong Kong This September
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Experience Mid-Autumn Festival Like a Local in Hong Kong This September
013 mins
Hong Kong Tourism Board
Immerse yourself in 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
Mid-Autumn Festival 2026
HONG KONG, Aug. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — This September, Hong Kong invites visitors to step into the heart of 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 transforms into a vibrant showcase of one of its most cherished annual celebrations.
This year’s programme features the International Lantern Spectacular, organized by Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and making its debut at the Victoria Park, alongside the historic Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance and a variety of seasonal experiences that allow visitors to celebrate just like locals.
Join the City’s Brightest Celebration
HKTB will stage its first-ever International Lantern Spectacular at Victoria Park from 17 to 27 September. Centered on the theme of “Reunion”, the event will bring 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 invites 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 can stroll 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: A Cultural Exploration Across Borders
Stepping onto the World Lantern Boulevard, locals and visitors will be surrounded by over 3,000 distinctive lanterns from 20 countries and regions. Among them are 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 is 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 celebrates cultural diversity but also reflects Hong Kong’s diversity and inclusion, sharing the joy of festive reunion with visitors from around the world.
Shadowlight (Mock-up image)
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.
Taking centre stage is 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, it invites visitors and locals to weave among its glittering light and shadow, then look up at a canopy of layered coloured gauze, its many tiers giving 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, features 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.
Echoing the theme of “Reunion”, several lanterns will incorporate 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 that symbolises fulfilment and good fortune. Above the lotus pond at the Model Boat Pool, Moonlit Lotus will be crowned by a spectacular seven-metre-tall moon lantern, mirrored by the glowing lotus lanterns on the water below, inviting everyone to gather beneath the same full moon.
Hong Kong Lantern Galleria: A Salute to Local Craftsmanship
At Victoria Park’s Hill Knoll Pavilion, over 400 classic Hong Kong handcrafted lanterns will be on display. Traditional lantern shapes including rabbit, star fruit, and goldfish lanterns will hang overhead, weaving together a scene as colourful and spectacular as “Lantern Street” at Yuen Long’s Tai Kiu Market, and capturing the rich local flavour of a Hong Kong Mid-Autumn.
Ambient light decorations will thread through the lantern zones and every corner of Victoria Park, leading visitors and locals into an immersive festive night-time experience.
Regional Mooncake Sale: Savouring the Flavours of Reunion
From 17 to 20 September, the HKTB will team up with Po Leung Kuk to set up speciality mooncake stalls at the South Pavilion Plaza in Victoria Park, giving festival-goers another way to spend during the celebrations. Mooncakes from different parts of the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong will be on sale, including Suzhou-style mooncakes from Shanghai, Yunnan ham mooncakes, and Chiuchow-style mooncakes filled with taro paste, black bean paste, or mung bean paste. As visitors and locals meander through the lantern displays, they will be able to taste regional flavours and buy mooncakes for family and friends. All proceeds will be donated to Po Leung Kuk for charitable purposes.
Witness Living Heritage in Motion Under the Full Moon
Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance
Mid-Autumn in Hong Kong would not be complete without the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, now in its 147th edition and inscribed on China’s National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Taking place from 24 to 26 September, this time-honoured tradition sees a 67-metre fire dragon, illuminated by 12,000 incense sticks, weaves 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 are invited not only to witness the performance, but to feel part of the atmosphere, arriving early to claim a vantage point close to the action and fully experience the intensity, excitement and shared spirit of the night. After the dance, the tradition continues as performers share burning incense sticks with spectators—turning visitors into participants through a gesture of goodwill.
Celebrate Mid-Autumn the Hong Kong Way
Throughout September, 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.
