Hong Kong is set to welcome 2026 with a dazzling new multimedia spectacle, blending live music with an immersive architectural light show transforming the heart of Central into a festive hub.

Under the theme “New Hopes, New Beginnings”, the celebration will commence at 11:28 pm on Wednesday, New Year's Eve, at Chater Road pedestrian precinct, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said at a news conference on Monday.

The build-up to midnight will feature a unique 20-second countdown show that is set to be projected onto eight iconic participating buildings, namely Hong Kong City Hall High Block, the Hong Kong Club Building, the Prince’s Building, the Court of Final Appeal, the Standard Chartered Bank Building, HSBC Main Building, the Bank of China Building, and the Bank of China Tower.

At precisely midnight, the facades of the eight landmarks will ignite for a three-minute themed light show. The public can gather at two main live viewing areas in Central — Chater Garden and Edinburgh Place — where giant outdoor screens will broadcast the event.

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A star-studded lineup will provide the soundtrack for the night at the Statue Square Gardens. Internationally renowned soft rock duo Air Supply will headline, performing a selection of their classic hits. They will be joined by popular local singers Jay Fung and Cloud Wan Ho-ying, with additional performances by a children's choir and the Hong Kong Police Band.

Earlier this month, the Hong Kong government announced that the traditional fireworks countdown will be canceled this year following last month’s deadly blaze at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po that has claimed 161 lives so far.

Last year’s new year firework countdown attracted over 400,000 people.

Mason Hung Chung-hing, HKTB’s lead advisor for event and product development, said it is difficult to estimate the number of people likely to attend this year’s countdown event due to the change of the venue, although he believes the event will be sufficiently attractive and deliver a “more layered and in-depth” festive atmosphere of the New Year even without fireworks.

Hung said there will be no mourning arrangements in relation to the Tai Po fire during the countdown after internal discussions.

“Many had expressed a desire to gradually return to their ordinary daily lives,” he said, adding that the aim of the event is to welcome the new year while extending blessings to residents and visitors.

To manage the expected crowds, police will implement phased road closures around Chater Road starting from 6pm on Wednesday. The “Winter Wonderland in Central”, currently being held at Statue Square Gardens, will close early at 4pm on the day.

For those across the harbor, the countdown show will also be projected onto the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, while a giant countdown clock will be displayed on Wan Chai’s Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Ensuring no one misses the celebrations, the HKTB will also provide live broadcasts on its official DiscoverHongKong.com website and social media channels. The live signal will also be distributed to local media and uplinked via satellite for global networks, allowing audiences worldwide to join Hong Kong in counting down to 2026.

To facilitate public travel following New Year's countdown events across the city, the Hong Kong and Chinese mainland authorities will extend the operating hours of the Lo Wu checkpoint from midnight until 2am the following morning. Additionally, the Shenzhen Bay port, which normally closes at midnight, will operate around the clock.

The last train from Admiralty to Lo Wu will depart at 0:56am. Most local MTR lines will also provide overnight services on New Year’s Eve.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang ports will maintain 24-hour operations as usual.

According to the Immigration Department, a total of 5.99 million passenger trips were recorded at Hong Kong’s boundary control points during the past Christmas holiday from Wednesday to Sunday, of which 4.5 million were made by Hong Kong residents.

The authorities estimate the total number of cross-boundary trips from Wednesday to Jan 4 will reach 11.52 million.

Fu Yinglin and Valeria Shan contributed to the story.