Festivals and traditions through the year

Why do the dates of Hong Kong festivals change every year?#

Because most are set by the lunar calendar. The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) says each month in that calendar starts with a new moon, and 12 such months are more than 10 days shorter than the solar year. The difference builds up into a leap month, so a lunar date moves against the Gregorian calendar.

HKO publishes a conversion table for 1901 to 2100. It warns that a date may be one day out when a new moon falls close to midnight. It lists the cases, and none is in 2026 or 2027.

What are the dates of the main festivals in 2026 and 2027?#

From GovHK and the HKO table, 2026 first, then 2027.

Lunar New Year's Day: 17 February, 6 February. Ching Ming: 5 April, 5 April. Tin Hau's birthday: 9 May, 29 April. Buddha's Birthday: 24 May, 13 May. Tuen Ng: 19 June, 9 June. Hungry Ghost month starts: 13 August, 2 August. Mid-Autumn: 25 September, 15 September. Chung Yeung: 18 October, 8 October.

These are festival days. Days off can fall on other dates; the next answer explains.

Which of these days are public holidays?#

The list of general holidays is in the Typhoons, rainstorms and public holidays guide. Museum and library holiday hours are in the Rainy and very hot days guide.

One rule matters here. A Government spokesman said that in 2026 Ching Ming, the Birthday of the Buddha and Chung Yeung all fell on a Sunday, so the following Monday was a holiday in substitution. For Ching Ming that Monday was Easter Monday, so Tuesday 7 April was also a general holiday. In 2027 the second day of Lunar New Year falls on a Sunday, so the fourth day, Tuesday 9 February, is a holiday in substitution.

What happens at Lunar New Year?#

Lunar New Year's Day is the first day of the first lunar month. Official pages for 2026 show these effects.

Three banks were to exchange new and good-as-new notes for lai-see from 3 to 16 February, and the Monetary Authority encouraged electronic lai-see. FEHD said its cemetery and crematorium offices would be closed on the day, with no burials at public cemeteries and no cremations at public crematoria. Sik Sik Yuen, which runs Wong Tai Sin Temple, says worshippers make the first incense offering as the eve turns into the first day, and the temple opens all night. That page names no year.

When are the Lunar New Year fairs and the Che Kung Festival Fair in 2027?#

FEHD's notice of 22 September 2026 says the 2027 Chinese New Year fairs run for seven days, from 31 January 2027 to the early morning of 6 February, at 14 venues including Victoria Park, Fa Hui Park and Tat Tung Road Garden. A Government release the same day says stall auctions start on 7 October. The notice says the Government may adjust the fairs' scale and hours, or suspend or cancel them.

FEHD says the Che Kung Festival Fair in Sha Tin runs for 18 days, 3 to 20 February 2027. The Night and street markets pages hold venues and past fairs.

Which fireworks and parades does the Government organise?#

For 2026 the Government announced two fireworks displays over Victoria Harbour, both co-ordinated by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, each at 8pm and about 23 minutes long: Chinese New Year on 18 February, the second day, and National Day on 1 October. The Transport Department said the International Chinese New Year Night Parade would be held in Tsim Sha Tsui at 8pm on the first day.

For 2027, LCSD says the Chinese New Year display will be on Sunday 7 February. Its release gives no time or theme.

What do official pages say about Ching Ming and Chung Yeung?#

FEHD asks grave sweepers to avoid the festival day itself, 5 April 2026 for Ching Ming and 18 October 2026 for Chung Yeung, and to pay tribute over a wider period. Its columbaria were to open 7am to 7pm from 14 March to 19 April and from 26 September to 1 November.

Vehicles without permission cannot enter FEHD cemeteries and columbaria while special traffic arrangements apply. The Police announced them in 2026, for example near Chai Wan. In 2027 Ching Ming is Monday 5 April and Chung Yeung is Friday 8 October, GovHK lists.

Where may I burn paper offerings, and what are the rules?#

There is no single rule; official pages give three. In the countryside, AFCD says burning offerings without regard to fire risk is an offence, with a maximum fine of HK$25,000 and one year's imprisonment. Its guidelines say to burn only inside a container and never leave it unattended.

In the 2026 Ching Ming and Chung Yeung periods FEHD allowed no walk-in queuing for joss paper burners at its Tsang Tsui and Cape Collinson-San Ha columbaria on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays: visitors booked online or took a queue ticket. Shek Mun is smoke-free. EPD recommends that premises owners and operators promote alternatives such as flowers or electronic offerings.

What happens at the Dragon Boat (Tuen Ng) Festival?#

In 2026, Tuen Ng Festival was Friday 19 June. The Police announced that Stanley Link Road and Hoi Fung Path would close from 6am to 9pm, except to local residents' vehicles, for dragon boat races, with arrangements from 18 June.

In Tai O, the ICH Office says three fishermen's associations hold a religious water parade. Deity statues are towed on sacred sampans through the waters and returned to the temples in the afternoon. The Office gives the parade as the 4th and 5th day of the fifth lunar month every year.

What is Hungry Ghost (Yu Lan) month, and what happens?#

It is the seventh lunar month: 13 August to 10 September 2026 and 2 to 31 August 2027, by the HKO table. The ICH Office says the Chiu Chow community's Yu Lan Festival lasts the whole month, for ancestor worship and rituals for wandering ghosts. Activities include burning paper offerings on the street, Chiu Chow opera, burning effigies of the Ghost King and giving out auspicious rice.

The Government Records Service says the Government has guidelines for organising these events and allocating public venues, to limit the effect on residents.

What happens at Mid-Autumn Festival?#

Mid-Autumn Festival was Friday 25 September 2026 and falls on Wednesday 15 September 2027. HKO said the 2026 full moon came in the early hours of 27 September, but a bright round moon could still be seen during the festival.

LCSD's Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival was staged at Victoria Park from 17 September 2026, free, lit from 6:30pm to 11pm. LCSD's page gives the end as 7 October; a Government release of 23 September gave 4 October. It was presented by the Hong Kong Tourism Board for the first time. LCSD encouraged visitors to come on other days than Mid-Autumn Day to avoid crowding. Naked-flame lanterns were prohibited.

When are the fire dragon dances?#

The ICH Office says the Tai Hang fire dragon dance is held on the evenings of the 14th, 15th and 16th of the eighth lunar month. That was 24 to 26 September 2026, and by the HKO table it is 14 to 16 September 2027. In 2026 the Transport Department announced road closures and diversions near Tai Hang for those days.

The ICH Office says the Pok Fu Lam dance is on the evening of Mid-Autumn Festival. In 2026 the Transport Department said Wah Fu Road near Wah Lok House would close from about 10.30pm to 11.45pm for it.

What is the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, and when is it?#

It is the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival, on the national list of intangible cultural heritage since 2011. The ICH Office says residents hold it each year to thank Pak Tai after a late-Qing plague. HK Memory, an LCSD site, says its date has been fixed on the 8th day of the fourth lunar month. That was Sunday 24 May 2026 and, by the HKO table, is Thursday 13 May 2027.

LCSD's 2026 Bun Carnival page lists 12 April as the first date and 24 to 25 May for the Bun Scrambling Final. On 27 October 2026 that page still showed 2026 only.

How did the 2026 Bun Scrambling Final work, and how did people get home?#

A Government release of 18 May 2026 said the final would be on the night of 24 May at Pak Tai Temple Playground. The opening ceremony would be at 11.30pm, and the competition would start at midnight. Four spectator zones would hold about 1,650 people. Free tickets, one per person, were to be given out first come, first served from 10pm. The final could be cancelled in bad weather such as thunderstorms and would not be rescheduled.

A special ferry was to leave Cheung Chau for Central at 1.15am on 25 May, and special bus 104R was to run from Central Pier No. 5 to Mong Kok.

When is Tin Hau's birthday, and what happens?#

Sources differ on the window. The ICH Office says it is celebrated on the 23rd day of the third lunar month, or on other designated dates: Saturday 9 May 2026 and, by the HKO table, Thursday 29 April 2027. The Government Records Service says devotees celebrate in the third and fourth lunar months.

The ICH Office says some neighbourhoods stage Cantonese opera, exchange fa pau (flowery rockets) or hold parades. The Government Records Service calls Tai Miu at Joss House Bay, Sai Kung the oldest and largest Tin Hau temple in Hong Kong.

What happens on Buddha's Birthday?#

The Hong Kong Yearbook 2024 says it falls on the eighth day of the fourth month in the lunar calendar, and that the Hong Kong Buddhist Association holds celebrations that day. That was Sunday 24 May 2026, so Monday 25 May was the holiday. It is Thursday 13 May 2027.

HK Memory, an LCSD site, says the main rite is bathing the Buddha: water is poured over a statue. Large monasteries such as the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin hold public ceremonies, and volunteers there hand out white rice and peanuts in red packets.

What do official pages say about Christmas?#

GovHK lists Christmas Day as a general holiday on Friday 25 December 2026 and Saturday 25 December 2027. The first weekday after it is also a holiday: Saturday 26 December 2026 and Monday 27 December 2027.

As of 27 October 2026 we found no Government announcement of a Christmas event for 2026. For 24 and 25 December 2025 the Police announced crowd safety measures and special traffic arrangements, expected large crowds in the Lan Kwai Fong area and asked people not to carry or discharge aerosol spray there.

Which festivals are on the Government's intangible cultural heritage lists?#

The ICH Office's Representative List has 24 items, updated in December 2024. Its festive group names the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival, Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade, Yu Lan Festival of the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Community, the Tai Hang and Pok Fu Lam fire dragon dances, Tin Hau Festival in Hong Kong, and Wong Tai Sin Belief and Customs.

The Office says twelve items on the list are also on the national list. The wider Inventory has 507 items.

How do festivals change transport?#

In 2026 the Transport Department and the Police announced special arrangements from one day to about two weeks ahead. For example, on Chinese New Year's Eve most MTR lines would run more trains from 3pm and several lines overnight, and the Central to Mid-Levels Escalator would run until 3am. On Mid-Autumn Festival the MTR would strengthen services from 3pm and extend hours into the early hours of 26 September. For the Bun Scrambling Final a 1.15am ferry and bus 104R were added. Roads near cemeteries, races and fire dragon dances were to be closed or diverted.

Do official pages say how to behave at festivals?#

In part. Government releases ask people to keep public areas clean, respect public property, show consideration, follow the Police and organisers, and be patient in crowds. LCSD asked people not to burn wax or fly sky lanterns at its venues at Mid-Autumn, and stated a maximum fine of HK$2,000 and 14 days' imprisonment, and a HK$3,000 fixed penalty for littering. FEHD's Shek Mun Columbarium is smoke-free. We found no official page on temple etiquette beyond Sik Sik Yuen's note for Wong Tai Sin Temple.

Where do I check the dates each year?#

Check the organiser. In 2026 the Government's press releases carried Police and Transport Department arrangements in the days or weeks before each festival we checked. LCSD's Community Programmes Office lists its lantern events and says programmes may change without notice. LCSD's Bun Carnival page and FEHD's fair pages give their own dates. The Hong Kong Yearbook 2024 says the public and tourists can find upcoming mega events on the websites of the Information Services Department and the Hong Kong Tourism Board. The Tourism Board's pages blocked our reader.

What could we not confirm?#

Sik Sik Yuen's FAQ gives Wong Tai Sin Temple's hours (7:30am to 4:30pm) and recommends that worshippers dress neatly and offer three incense sticks. We found no official page on photography, festival-day temple hours, things to avoid in Hungry Ghost month, which shops and banks close at Lunar New Year, or WinterFest dates. As of 27 October 2026 we found no 2027 National Day fireworks, Night Parade or Bun Carnival announcement.

Partly confirmed: the 2027 Bun Festival date (13 May) and Tai Hang dates (14 to 16 September) are worked out from the HKO table and the rules the ICH Office and HK Memory give. Organisers announce the real dates.