Hong Kong Celebrates Mid-Autumn Festival with International Lantern Spectacular

TORONTO, Sept. 24, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- This September, Hong Kong is transforming into a vibrant celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, inviting visitors and locals to experience the festival like never before. The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is staging its first-ever International Lantern Spectacular at Victoria Park from September 17 to 27, marking a significant cultural event that promises to dazzle with its global appeal.

Centered on the theme of "Reunion," the event will bring together distinctive lanterns from 20 countries and regions, including thousand-year-old Qinhuai lanterns from Nanjing, recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. These lanterns, along with locally handcrafted Hong Kong lanterns, will create a mesmerizing display that celebrates cultural diversity and togetherness.

Visitors and locals will be surrounded by over 3,000 distinctive lanterns from 20 countries and regions, each telling a unique story. From the traditional silk lanterns of Jinju, South Korea, to the multi-coloured patchwork lanterns of Brazil, the display offers a world-class Mid-Autumn experience. The World Lantern Boulevard will be the highlight, offering a cultural exploration across borders and reflecting Hong Kong's diversity and inclusion.

Among the highlights is the Shadowlight, a giant themed lantern standing eight metres tall at the main entrance to Victoria Park. Inspired by Hong Kong’s iconic banyan trees, it invites visitors to weave among its glittering light and shadow, then look up at a canopy of layered coloured gauze, symbolizing Hong Kong’s global connectivity and warm welcome to visitors and locals alike.

Another highlight is the Lotus Fish, featuring rows of giant lotus leaves with lifelike, brightly coloured carp darting 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.

The Nanjing Qinhuai Lanterns, a National Intangible Cultural Heritage with a history of more than 1,700 years, will also be on display. HKTB has invited a Qinhuai lantern-making team from Nanjing to create four tailor-made giant Qinhuai lanterns for the Spectacular. These lanterns, renowned for their translucent, vibrant colours and rich cultural symbolism, will be showcased at Victoria Park.

At Victoria Park’s Hill Knoll Pavilion, over 400 classic Hong Kong handcrafted lanterns will be on display, 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.

From September 17 to 20, the HKTB will team up with Po Leung Kuk to set up specialty mooncake stalls at the South Pavilion Plaza in Victoria Park. 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.

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.