Hong Kong's cultural calendar is jammed to bursting with wonderful events and festivals for you to enjoy. There is truly no end of things to do in this city, regardless of when you happen to be passing through town. Here are a few of the most famous and popular examples.
Chinese New Year
Where else to start but one of the world's most renowned spectacular festivals? Ringing in the New Year in Hong Kong is an experience truly like no other. A 15 day celebration of life and culture, it dwarves all other parties you are likely to come across. It begins on the first day of the new year (about the 14th February) and rocks on until well into March, when the Spring Lantern Festival closes things out. Highlights include the Night Parade, where an army of brilliant performers march through Tsim Sha Tsui, while hundreds of thousands of people line the streets and party. Another recommendation is the Pulse 3D Light Show that takes place in the Open Piazza of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, providing a night of high tech audio visual treats.
WinterFest
As Christmas arrives on the horizon, there are few cities that celebrate the holiday season with quite the fun and glamour of HK. The annual WinterFest hits town and brings with it remarkable decorations, lots of great food and, of course, the New Year's countdown on the 31st December. The Statue Square Christmas Tree is a massive testament to this city's love of spectacle.
The Wine and Dine Festival
Hong Kong is a city in love with food and you can find just about every culinary culture represented somewhere in the town. It should come as no surprise, then, to find that HK plays host to one of the world's most exciting food festivals each year. The Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival brings together the world's best wine and food and presents it to visitors across a month of fun filled events. From wine tours to street food parties to cookery classes from some of the city's top chefs, there is no end of choice for the fun loving foodie. Perhaps its most famous event, however, is its famous opening party.
The Dragon Boat Carnival
Hundreds of thousands of people attend the Dragon Boat Carnival in Hong Kong each year, where thousands of the world's most famous and feted dragon boat racers come to compete. In the last few years it has become so popular that it is now one of Asia's most fun-filled annual parties. Beer is very much on the menu, thanks in some part to the San Miguel Beerfest that accompanies the races. A wild day out in Victoria Harbour is assured.
Buddha's Birthday
A million miles from the raucous, thronging fervour of the Dragon Boat Carnival is the festival celebrating the birthday of Buddha, founder of Buddhism, which takes place around May each year. Here spirituality, contemplation and tradition are very much the order of the day. At temples across Hong Kong, believers bathe statues of the religion's iconic forefather, purifying their own souls in the process.