Hong Kong embraced the Mid-Autumn Festival on Monday with lively street decorations, dragon dances, and free rides on its iconic “Ding Ding” trams and Light Rail services, blending tradition with modernity and delighting both residents and tourists.
A free-ride campaign, sponsored by the Huatai Financial Holdings (Hong Kong) Ltd, covered trams on Hong Kong Island and Light Rail services throughout Monday. The initiative was especially popular among Chinese mainland tourists enjoying the eight-day break that started on Oct 1, National Day.
On Monday morning, trams passing through North Point on Hong Kong Island were packed with passengers. Zhang, a tourist from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, visiting her friend, took advantage of the free rides to pick up her friend's child to school.
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A frequent visitor to the city, Zhang planned to visit Victoria Park for the lantern carnival, which runs until Tuesday.
A tourist surnamed Xu, who was visiting Hong Kong for the first time with her sister and daughter, learned about the free rides from the mainland social media platform Xiaohongshu and decided on a whim to experience this iconic slice of local life.
Following advice from social media posts, they boarded a tram to Sheung Wan, a historic district known for street art, antique shops, and heritage trails.
“We'll head back to Causeway Bay later and enjoy our final night in the city by immersing ourselves in the vibrant festivities of Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance,” Xu said.
The Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, a longstanding Mid-Autumn Festival celebration in the city, is performed nightly from Sunday to Tuesday. It features a 67-meter-long dragon animated by 300 performers, with a smaller dragon carried by children, as it continues this tradition and winds through the streets.
Local resident Siu, who picked up her daughter from kindergarten, said she was pleasantly surprised to learn of the free tram rides. “I knew about the National Day benefits but not about today’s,” she said. Her family has planned a dual celebration: “We’ll mark my son’s birthday and Mid-Autumn together at home.”
Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki endorsed the free-ride program as “fostering social connection and integration”.
In a social media post, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu shared that he celebrated the festival by visiting a local care home, where he shared specially prepared "soft mooncakes" - made from pumpkin, custard, and red beans - with residents.
"Every bite of these soft mooncakes is tender and sweet, filled with care and love. Seeing the elderly enjoy them and their faces light up with joy deeply touched me. It reminded me that, even with physicial limitations, the warmth of the festive season can still reach their hearts," he said.
Lee said that the government has been working with social service groups to promote such specialized meals in the food and beverage sector, ensuring that people with special needs can also share in the festival's joy.
Lee extended his wishes to the community, saying, "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival. May the full moon bring reunion."
Across the city, the streets buzzed with the festive spirit. Primary school children released from class streamed along the pavements carrying handmade paper lanterns while colorful flags adorned roadside railings.
In Aberdeen Centre, Southern District, a bustling game booth drew the crowds, as participants tried to ring mooncake targets for a chance to win rabbit-shaped night lights.
At Lee Tung Street in Wan Chai, over 800 traditional gold fish-shaped lanterns will illuminate the avenue until Oct 26. The celebration climaxed on Mid-Autumn Festival evening with an 18-meter luminous fire dragon parading through the street, accompanied by lion dances, light effects and drum performances.
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The Jao Tsung-I Academy in Lai Chi Kok is hosting an exhibition displaying over 1,000 lanterns. A display at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre features a sports-themed lantern exhibition until Oct 19.
Residents and visitors are invited to explore specialty markets across the city offering cultural crafts, gourmet food, and entertainment.
Highlights include a Gen Z music installation at the Kwun Tong Promenade, a 10-meter-tall rabbit installation at MegaBox in Kowloon Bay, and nostalgic carnival games at Plaza Hollywood in Diamond Hill.
To ensure smooth journeys home after festivities, seven Light Rail routes and all local metro lines — excluding the Airport Express, the Disney Resort Line and those to the Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau border stations — operated overnight. Some tram routes operated until 1 am on Tuesday, a public holiday in Hong Kong.
As moon-gazing remains a cherished tradition, the Hong Kong Observatory cited "weather permitting". The sky was generally clear after the city sucessfully navigated Tropical Cyclone Matmo with all weather warnings canceled late Sunday night.
Contact the writer at stacyshi@chinadailyhk.com
