In pictures: how Hong Kong made Halloween its own

Halloween, much like China’s Hungry Ghost Festival, has its roots in tales of spirits and the supernatural. But unlike the more solemn tone of the Hungry Ghost Festival, Halloween in Hong Kong has evolved into a lively, playful celebration, fuelled by the city’s creativity and curiosity, and inspired by both Western and local traditions.

Although there’s no clear record of when the city began embracing Halloween, photographs from the 1980s show small-scale school parties with children dressing up for the occasion. By the 90s, Lan Kwai Fong had become a carnival of costumes and, in the 2000s, theme parks joined in, with Ocean Park’s haunted houses and Disneyland’s spooky parades transforming the night into a grand spectacle.