The festival begins before the date. In the last days of the old year the Victoria Park Lunar New Year Fair in Causeway Bay sells peach blossom, kumquat trees, narcissus and gladioli — the flowers that bring luck — alongside the year's novelty toys, and stays open through the night on New Year's Eve. On the eve itself families eat the reunion dinner and the temples, especially Wong Tai Sin, fill with worshippers racing to plant the first incense stick of the year at midnight.
Day one belongs to the Night Parade: floats, lion and dragon dancers, international performance troupes and marching bands along Canton Road, Haiphong Road and Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, starting around 8 p.m. Grandstand seats are sold through the tourism board; the pavements are free and packed by six. Day two is the fireworks — launched from barges in Victoria Harbour and best seen from the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade, the Central and Wan Chai waterfronts, or a harbour cruise booked well ahead.
Day three is traditionally for the Sha Tin racecourse meeting and for visiting the Che Kung temple to turn the windmill for a change of fortune. Throughout, the lion dances continue outside shops and hotels, red packets (lai see) change hands, and the greeting is 'Kung Hei Fat Choy'. Many restaurants, small shops and some attractions close for part of the three days; malls, hotels and the big tourist sites stay open.
Hotels on the harbour — Tsim Sha Tsui, Wan Chai, Central — sell out for the fireworks night and rates rise across the holiday. Book early, and book a harbour-view room if you can: the fireworks from a window with a glass of something is the local way to do it. A chauffeur from the airport is uncomplicated year-round and especially welcome when the MTR is at holiday capacity.
Three things to get right
- Night Parade day one from the pavement (arrive by 6), fireworks day two from the TST promenade.
- Visit the Victoria Park flower market on New Year's Eve after 10 p.m.
- Expect closures of small restaurants and shops on days one to three.
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