WinterFest to spread across Hong Kong as ‘Symphony of Lights’ takes final bow

Hong Kong’s annual WinterFest will expand beyond Central this year, reaching Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay with new attractions including steam trains and aurora light shows.

But the festival’s opening next Wednesday will also mark the final performance of “A Symphony of Lights,” the nightly Victoria Harbour show that has illuminated the city’s skyline for 22 years. It will be replaced by seasonal light shows.

The final performance, at 8pm, would include special pyrotechnic effects as a farewell, the Hong Kong Tourism Board said on Tuesday.

This year’s festival, which runs until January 5, will feature a winter wonderland at Statue Square Gardens in Central. Its centrepiece will be a 22-metre-tall outdoor Christmas tree, two metres taller than last year’s.

The Central winter wonderland will also include festive installations such as a 12-metre-long steam train, prancing reindeer and vintage toy hot-air balloons, alongside Christmas markets and a mailing corner where visitors can shop and send seasonal wishes to loved ones.

Nine buildings in Central will serve as the canvas for an immersive, train-themed light show spanning eight acts. It will run every 30 minutes from 7pm to 11pm.

This is the first time the festival will expand to Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui, two of the city’s major commercial districts.

At the Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, a musical light show will feature Christmas tunes played on a “magical jukebox” activated by penguins and squirrels.

Nearby, the facade of the Hong Kong Museum of Art will be illuminated with aurora lights, while the Hong Kong Space Museum will be transformed into a giant crystal ball with swirling snowflakes and 7,000 colour-changing light orbs synchronised to the music.

In Causeway Bay, the winter set-up will resemble an elf village, with light shows on two buildings along Lan Fong Road and Pak Sha Road, as well as an outdoor bar, guided tours, markets and workshops. The programme will run slightly later, from November 25 to January 3.

“These highlights will encourage more locals and visitors to stay and spend in Hong Kong, immerse themselves in the city’s unique winter experiences, and discover the festive charm found ‘only in Hong Kong’,” board chairman Peter Lam Kin-ngok said.

To further boost local spending, the board has partnered with Alipay to launch 100,000 dining and retail offers on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitors will need to scan a QR code at participating shops to redeem the rewards.

The government had earlier said the two-decade-old nightly light show would be retired and replaced with a new series of light festivals held at different locations and times of the year, as part of a wider package of tourism measures announced in this year’s budget.

“A Symphony of Lights” has illuminated Victoria Harbour since 2004. In 2005, Guinness World Records named it the world’s “largest permanent light and sound show”, with lights spanning more than 40 buildings on both sides of the harbour.

In late October, authorities also scrapped a controversial plan to install decorative lights along a scenic trail on The Peak, which was intended to boost the city’s nighttime tourism appeal.

The decision followed public outcry over the removal of trees and vegetation, as well as light pollution. Officials promised to restore the natural landscape as soon as possible.

The project was among several initiatives proposed to replace “A Symphony of Lights”.