Victoria Park lantern show extended as National Day crowds gather
An expanded lantern display in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park drew thousands of locals, domestic helpers and visitors as mainland China’s National Day holiday began. Organisers extended the event until October 7 after reporting about 580,000 visits in its first 13 days and restricting entry at peak times to manage crowds.
Thousands of people visited Hong Kong’s Victoria Park for an extended lantern display as the mainland Chinese National Day “golden week” holiday began. The International Lantern Spectacular, organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, attracted locals, domestic helpers and tourists on Thursday. Visitors arrived around sunset, with some coming early after reports of long queues and heavy crowds on previous days.
The Tourism Board extended the event for a second time on Wednesday. Originally scheduled to end on September 27 after the Mid-Autumn Festival, it will now run until October 7, covering the holiday period. The board said the exhibition recorded about 580,000 visits during its first 13 days after opening on September 17.
Peak daily attendance exceeded 200,000, and entry periods were shortened on some days to prevent overcrowding. Among the attractions is the World Lantern Boulevard, a route displaying 3,000 lantern designs from different countries and regions. Another centrepiece is an eight-metre banyan tree installation positioned near the entrance.
Anant Raj, a banking employee from India who has lived in Hong Kong for a year, visited with his wife and two sons. He said the family planned to attend the National Day fireworks later and welcomed the participation of people from different backgrounds. Visitors from Shenzhen also made the lantern show part of their holiday plans.
Zhou Sipeng said the event had become popular on mainland social media, while Victoria Ling Ouyang described the displays as beautiful during a three-day family visit to Hong Kong. Some Hong Kong residents chose to stay in the city despite many people leaving for the holiday. Polytechnic University student Carly Cheung said she and her boyfriend came early after seeing online warnings that visitors had previously waited nearly an hour to enter.
They planned to skip the fireworks to avoid the largest crowds.
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