Nightlife operators expect boom as Halloween revellers pack Hong Kong’s Central

Hong Kong’s Central district came to a standstill on Friday night as costumed revellers spilled onto the streets, clamouring to enter Lan Kwai Fong to celebrate Halloween, with business in the city’s popular nightlife zone expected to see a 20 to 25 per cent jump compared with last year.

Many local residents, expats and mainland Chinese visitors came dressed in a variety of outfits, some cosplaying as popular video game characters that included aliens and zombies.

At one point, a couple dressed as characters from the popular horror game Silent Hill managed to stop revellers in their tracks to snap pictures of the duo as they dragged a fake corpse through the street.

Lan Kwai Fong Group chairman Allan Zeman, also dubbed the father of the nightlife district, joined in the festivities leading up to Halloween by cosplaying as the character Wednesday from the Addams Family while walking on a red carpet in a public appearance earlier this month to help promote tourism in the city.

With so many revellers expected, police imposed special traffic arrangements by closing roads in the area from 2pm, with D’Aguilar Street between Wyndham Street and Wellington Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Wing Wah Lane, Wo On Lane, Wellington Street between Wyndham Street and D’Aguilar Street and On Lan Street affected.

At around 7pm, police were seen erecting additional barricades to direct traffic clogging the streets of Central. It took around an hour to enter the nightlife area. At one point, police directed a Post reporter to an exit in the nearest MTR station, only for staff to close it due to the huge crowd.