‘A Symphony of Lights’ to dim for good next Wednesday after 22-year run

Hong Kong’s 10-minute light and sound show, “A Symphony of Lights,” is scheduled to stage its final show next Wednesday after a 22-year presence on the city’s skyline, the Hong Kong Tourism Board has announced.

Peter Lam, businessman and chair of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), said at a press conference on Tuesday that “A Symphony of Lights” would be retired after staging its last show next Wednesday.

The final show would feature extra pyrotechnic elements to mark the special moment, Lam said.

The government announced in February plans to replace the long-running harbour light show with other light-themed shows in different locations, such as the Peak.

Starting in 2004, the free, daily light show – involving 43 buildings across the skyline – was awarded the “Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show” title by the Guinness Book of Records in 2005.

In recent years, the show has been considered outdated and unimpressive by tourists as other cities rolled out larger-scale light shows, HKFP reported in March.

The HKTB had planned to replace the long-running light show with an installation on the Peak. However, the tourism authority called off the plan in early November after the proposal drew criticism from trail users and residents.

Lam said on Tuesday that the HKTB would roll out new light shows next year.

WinterFest extended to 3 locales

Lam also announced on Tuesday that the HKTB would run its annual festive event, WinterFest, from next Wednesday until January 5.

For the first time, the event would be extended to three locations including Central, Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay, with each featuring light shows of different themes during the Christmas holiday.

“Over the years, Hong Kong WinterFest has brought a joyful festive atmosphere to the public. Last year, we partnered with Hongkong Land for the first time to present Hong Kong Winter Wonderland in Central, along with an immersive light show staged in collaboration with a number of Central landmarks, which proved hugely popular with locals and visitors alike,” Lam said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

The chair said the tourism authority would collaborate with Hysan to introduce installations and light shows in Causeway Bay, while the Tsim Sha Tsui event would be sponsored by Prudential Hong Kong.

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Irene Chan is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press and has an interest in covering political and social change. She previously worked at Initium Media as chief editor for Hong Kong news and was a community organiser at the Society for Community Organisation serving the underprivileged. She has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Fudan University and a master’s degree in social work from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Irene is the recipient of two Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) awards and three honourable mentions for her investigative, feature and video reporting. She also received a Human Rights Press Award for multimedia reporting and an honourable mention for feature writing.