Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour lights up with largest and most expensive fireworks display in 20 years

Police estimate crowd of 263,000 came to view 23-minute extravaganza costing HK$12 million

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Up to 300,000 people were expected to watch the handover anniversary fireworks display. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 8:00pm, 1 Jul 2017Updated: 12:13am, 2 Jul 2017

Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour was on Saturday lit up by the largest and most expensive fireworks display since 1997 – when the former British colony was returned to Chinese sovereignty – to mark the 20th anniversary of the handover and the inauguration of the city’s fourth chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.

A total of 39,888 pyrotechnic shells were blasted into the sky from five barges during the 23-minute extravaganza, costing HK$12 million (US$1.5 million).

The highlight of the show was the “super fireworks wall” at 1,250 metres long and 300 metres tall that could be seen from both sides of the harbour.

Police estimated 263,000 people were in attendance, with 236,000 lining the Kowloon waterfront and 27,000 on the island side. At 7.20pm, the Hong Kong Observatory issued a thunderstorm, and a downpour began just as the display started.

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There had earlier been controversy over the decision to use of simplified Chinese characters for the words “China” at the beginning of the show, rather than traditional characters used in Hong Kong.