8 Best Things to Do in Hong Kong for Chinese New Year

Join the Chinese New Year Carnival

The venerable Night Parade has expanded in duration and vision. Rebranded as the Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Carnival, Hong Kong’s premier New Year parade now takes place over four days at the Art Park of the West Kowloon Cultural District.

Both international and local performing groups will take part in the daily parades along the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade, the thousand-plus performers making up the greatest number of international performing troupes in the event’s history.

Tourists are welcome to take selfies at art installations set up throughout the venue; or experience any of the 15 booths in the attached Chinese New Year Market—from dining on Michelin-starred fishcake skewers to joining workshops on balloon twisting and face painting.

For 2020, the Chinese New Year Carnival runs from January 25, to 28, from 2pm to 8pm. Visit the official site for more details.

What - Chinese New Year Carnival
When - The First Night of the Lunar New Year
Where - West Kowloon Cultural District
MTR - Kowloon Station

Thrill at the Fireworks Show

The second day of New Year sees boats pack the harbor and people thronging the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, particularly the Avenue of Stars, for the most spectacular fireworks show in the world (amazingly it's completely computer-controlled). The event is actually an extended version of Hong Kong's daily Symphony of Lights show. Many people rent a boat to get a perfect view from the harbor. If you're heading to the waterfront, you'll need to get there early, as it fills up quickly. The fireworks kick off at 8 p.m. These top five views of Hong Kong harbor make for ideal viewing spots.

What - Chinese New Year Fireworks
When - Second day of Chinese New Year at 8:00 p.m.
Where - Tsim Sha Tsui
MTR - Tsim Sha Tsui

Get Lucky at the Horse Races

If you know about the New Year Superstitions, you can find out if your efforts to draw good luck have paid off by heading to the horse-racing track. The Sha Tin racecourse will be adorned with lanterns and there will even be a lion dance. For race fans, one of the major attractions is the Chinese New Year Cup.

What - Lunar New Year Races
When - Third day of the Lunar New Year at 11 a.m.
Where - Sha Tin
MTR - Sha Tin Racecourse 

Visit a Temple

During the three days of the Chinese New Year, Hong Kong's temples are often busy with worshippers placing incense sticks at the altar for good luck and performing other traditional rituals.

The Man Mo Temple honors the Taoist god of literature Man Cheong, and the god of war and fighting, Mo Tai. Its smoky central chamber hosts locals praying for success or giving thanks for their answered prayers. Address: Hollywood Road

The Wong Tai Sin Temple is Hong Kong's largest and most popular temple.
Address: 2 Chuk Yuen Village, Wong Tai Sin, Kowloon

The Che Kung Temple at Sha Tin was built in honor of Che Kung, a military commander of the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279) whose power for suppressing uprisings and plagues made him a household name. There is a large statue of him at the temple.
Address: Che Kung Miu Road, Tai Wai, New Territories

Make a Wish

 During Chinese New Year pay a visit to the Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees in the New Territories, and participate in the Hong Kong Well Wishing Festival.

To join in on the fun, buy a piece of joss paper (usually tied to an orange) and write your wish on the paper. You’ll then throw the orange and its attached paper onto the tree (the higher, the better). With some luck, your orange will catch on a branch, and your joss-paper wish will be granted as a result! Locals believe that the higher your joss paper makes it on the tree, the greater the chances your wish will be granted.

The trees get so full of wishes, that wishes are also made by tying joss paper to nearby wooden racks or imitation trees. The trees are located near the Tin Hau Temple in Fong Ma Po Village, New Territories.

Try Holiday Foods

During the Chinese New Year, treats (each bearing a particular blessing) are offered to guests in an ornate red snack box called chuen hap. The eight traditional sweets are candied shredded coconut, lotus seeds, bamboo shoots, kumquat, lotus root, coconut ribbons, and winter melon.

Other treats such as deep-fried peanut pastries and deep-fried sesame balls are also popular and will be found at local markets prior to and during Chinese New Year.

Stroll the Flower Market

A typical thing to do during Chinese New Year is to go to the flower markets. It is believed that this will bring good fortune—flowers signify wealth. From the 24^th day of the previous year to the morning of the first day of Chinese New Year, flower markets will pop up all around Hong Kong. The one in Victoria Park is the largest.

Victoria Park in Causeway Bay has sports fields and a green. It's a popular spot for Tai Chi practitioners who gather there at dawn. The New Year's flower market is a colorful, bustling market filled with families searching for the best symbolic flower or perfect kumquat tree.

Trek Up to the Big Buddha

A vigorous mountain hike is in the cards for active Hong Kongers on the first day of Chinese New Year, in line with the tradition that going uphill portends an upward swing in fortunes.

For a hiking challenge that honors the spirit of the festival, climb the 3.5-mile Ngong Ping Trail on Lantau Island that starts at Tung Chung and takes four hours to reach the end of the trail at Ngong Ping. The trail almost exactly follows the alignment of the Ngong Ping 360 cable car, and was built to facilitate the maintenance of the cable car system.

At the top of the trail, you’ll find the Po Lin Monastery facing the Tian Tan Buddha (the “Big Buddha”), the world’s largest outdoors sitting Buddha. Sit down to Chinese vegetarian lunch at Po Lin Monastery, before either riding the Cable Car back down or trekking back the way you came!