Tens of thousands line streets for Hong Kong’s Lunar New Year night parade
Float parade to mark start of the Year of the Horse begins with an East-meets-West street party
Tens of thousands of Hongkongers and tourists lined the streets in Tsim Sha Tsui on Tuesday evening for the city’s annual Lunar New Year float parade, with the crowd left in awe as they saw dancers, dragons and other delights.
The two-hour Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade began at 8pm on Tuesday with an East-meets-West street party featuring dozens of local and overseas performers, although many people arrived hours in advance to claim prime viewing spots.
This year’s event, organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, has the theme “Best Fortune. World Party”, with 12 floats and nearly 60 performing groups interacting with spectators along the route.
FULL EVENT: Hong Kong Lunar New Year night parade 2026
In his opening speech, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said he was “delighted” to be celebrating the first day of the Year of the Horse at Victoria Harbour with locals and tourists.
“Over the past year, Hong Kong welcomed nearly 50 million visitors to experience our vibrant and diverse events, try our food offerings spread all across the city, and view every corner,” he said.
“Tourists’ love for Hong Kong from around the world is what keeps us wanting to improve – in the Year of the Horse, we will continue to intensify efforts to promote Hong Kong’s unique charm to global visitors.”
The procession departed from the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, travelling along Canton Road, Haiphong Road and Nathan Road before ending outside the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel and Towers.
