Hong Kong is an amazing city for fireworks. The best firework shows are held during Chinese New Year (check www.discoverhongkong.com as dates are different from year to year), July 1 (HKSAR establishment day), and Oct 1 (PRC National Day). They always start at 8pm and lasts around 23 minutes.
For the July 1st fireworks, hubby and I went to the Kowloon side to view it. We exited the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR turnstiles at 6pm and reached the waterfront promenade at 6:20. The best MTR exit for the promenade would be exit J Avenue of the Stars.
Around 6:30, we stopped right across the HK Convention center where we found second row viewing spots. Notice all the tri-pods in the picture above. Some people went as early at 7am to secure those spots.
Crowd control was suprising good. I expected to be crushed like sardines but this was not the case at all. The police cordoned off sections at certain time intervals. There was lots of space to walk around in our section.
It was a really nice night for fireworks. Mild with a nice breeze. The clouds looked omnious but it did not start raining until midnight.
Fireworks time! We had really good visibility since we managed to stand behind people shorter than us. It was the same as being in the first row.
More starbursts. Very impressive display of wealth and power. According to Xinhua, the 23 minute fireworks spectaular spectacular costs 1.03Million USD.
After 10 minutes or so, we decided to walk towards the infamous Bank of China Building to see what the view is like from there. It is pretty much the same except more crowded. We still had a great view even though we were around row 5.
The mob on Nathan road after the fireworks. The good news is that I did not get shoved at all. However the MTR looked extremely crowded so Hubby and I headed over to our favorite congee shop to grab a quick bite.
When we finished dinner around 9pm, the streets were about to resume vehicle traffic. Watching the fireworks in Hong Kong is not too big of a production. Quite simple and hassle free compared to the 5 hours I waited one year to watch Macy’s July 4th fireworks in NYC.
Overall: Highly recommended. I prefer to watch it on the Hong Kong side by the Convention Center. The fireworks are more in your face over there. Remember to bring ear plugs as the fireworks is extremely loud.
Thanks for all the info, looks like it was a fantastic show over the harbor! Would love to see it sometime — I’ve still yet to catch the lightshow in all my visits to HK!
You are not missing much. The Singapore lightshow is much better than the HK light show.
Really? Good to know.
I’m surprised there isn’t a hotel on The Peak so people can experience what living up there is like. They must get a good view of fireworks.
I saw the light show from a house on the peak before and it was nice but not spectacular as with fireworks the closer you are to the action the better.
Thanks, good to know. Here’s another “Note To Self”:
boats might not be worth the view and elbow room:
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/missing-long-island-yacht-capsizes-article-1.1108131