- Show designed by the director of fireworks at the 2008 Beijing Games will be 12 minutes long and span a distance of 1.3km, from Central to North Point
- The theme is the four seasons, and five barges with 16 floats will be deployed to launch the fireworks in two layers to provide a better 3D effect
Hong Kong’s New Year’s Ever countdown celebrations will be designed by the director of fireworks for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Photo: HKTBHong Kong’s New Year’s Eve pyrotechnics will return with a bang – the biggest yet – and a four seasons theme, with the display designed by the director of fireworks for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board revealed further details about the show, saying it would be the biggest and longest yet at 12 minutes, starting at midnight and spanning a distance of 1.3km from Central to North Point.
The pyrotechnics extravaganza will return for the first time since 2018, as the 2019 edition was cancelled because of social unrest, while the Covid-19 pandemic put a stop to displays in the years after that.
Hong Kong’s Temple Street night market revamp attracts local visitors
“This year’s celebrations will be the largest in Hong Kong,” said the board’s executive director, Dane Cheng Ting-yat. He said the celebrations together with an “East-meets-West musical” were expected to attract large crowds along Victoria Harbour on New Year’s Eve, while showcasing the city’s “unique appeal to the world”.
Liu Lin, director of the fireworks operation at the Beijing Olympics 15 years ago, took the helm for the choreography of the “New Year, New Legend” show in Hong Kong. He said he was inspired by the changing of the seasons throughout the year.
“The countdown firework performance demonstrates the optimism and diligence of the people of Hong Kong, who inspire boundless vitality and innovation, and have given birth to one legend after another,” he said.
The show will kick off starting with winter, represented by red and green-hued fireworks to depict a Christmas atmosphere, followed by colourful flowerlike pyrotechnic blooms for spring.
Summer will feature beach ball-shaped fireworks, followed by golden sparkles for autumn, before the show wraps up with a variety of shapes and colours such as hearts and smiley faces.
The board said five barges with 16 floats would be deployed to launch the fireworks in two layers to provide a better 3D effect. The firework performance has five sections – a prelude, three scenes and the finale.
An original musical arrangement by musician Chiu Tsang-hei combining elements of electronic, classical and Chinese instrumental genres will accompany the show.
Renowned Chinese violinist Yao Jue will also perform during the fireworks.
Hong Kong’s Lantau Island gets its version of the ‘Hop-on, Hop-off’ bus
Apart from typical viewing areas in Central and Tsim Sha Tsui, the board also recommended new vantage points added in recent years, including the waterfront promenade at the West Kowloon Cultural District, the Wan Chai harbourfront where authorities previously hosted a night market and the East Coast Park Precinct in North Point.
“Sound systems will also be set up at each vantage point to allow the audience to fully enjoy the fireworks music,” a board spokesman said.
Shopping centre Harbour City is selling tickets, with proceeds going to charity, to view the spectacle from the rooftop car park of Ocean Terminal. Shoppers can either get access to the passes by spending at least HK$5,000 (US$640) at the mall on a single day, or by purchasing them directly through travel services website Klook.
Before the main event on New Year’s Eve, onlookers will be treated to special lighting effects every 15 minutes starting from 11pm.
The annual fireworks are returning amid a number of government campaigns to revitalise the city’s economy by targeting both visitors and locals, as the tourism sector recovers slower than expected following the pandemic.
According to the Immigration Department, Hongkongers took more than 1.9 million trips out of the city from December 22 to 26. Over the same period, non-locals, including mainland tourists, made 679,000 trips into the city.
Will boosting nightlife revive Hong Kong’s tourism industry?
Among initiatives are the “Night Vibes Hong Kong” campaign to boost the evening economy with markets in Wan Chai, Kwun Tong and Kennedy Town earlier in the year, the Wine and Dine Festival in October and the ongoing Temple Street bazaar launched this month.
Authorities are also offering HK$100 dining vouchers for various restaurants across the city, while the Hong Kong WinterFest at the West Kowloon Cultural District – featuring a giant Christmas tree – was part of efforts to drum up holiday spirits.