Hong Kong’s Wine and Dine Festival to feature extended hours, 10% more booths

The annual Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival in late October will extend its opening hours until 1am on two nights and feature 10 per cent more booths, with the Tourism Board rolling out a gourmet month throughout November to boost visitor spending and encourage longer stays.

Organised by the board under the theme “Taste the World’s Best”, the festival will be held from October 29 to November 1 at the Central Harbourfront, opening at 7.30pm on the first day and 1pm on the following days. The board expects the event to attract 168,000 visitors this year, slightly higher than last year’s 160,000 attendees.

For the first time, the event will extend its opening hours until 1am on October 30 and 31. The four-day festival will be followed by the “Hong Kong Gourmet Month” in November, featuring more luxury dining activities.

“Through these initiatives, we aim to encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more, creating additional business opportunities for the trade,” board chairman Peter Lam Kin-ngok said on Wednesday.

Lam said this year’s festival would be held on a larger scale, with more than 340 booths, an increase of more than 10 per cent from last year. The event footprint would also be extended to Tamar Park, he added.

Key highlights for the event include the Grand Wine Pavilion, a designated area for premium wine, and the Tasting Room restaurant featuring five renowned chefs.

The Grand Wine Pavilion will bring together fine wines and delicacies from around 31 countries and regions, including new regions Australia, Canada, and South Korea. It will also feature wine selections from top Bordeaux chateaux, including renowned bottles such as Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 1er Cru 1982, a prized wine from one of Bordeaux’s First Growth estates and the legendary 1982 vintage.

At the Tasting Room restaurant, diners can enjoy dishes made by Michelin-star chefs Edward Lee, Yoda Chen Zhiping and Thierry Marx, presenting a limited all-new, 10-hand collaborative banquet.

The event will also showcase local “Only in Hong Kong” flavours through innovative combinations such as Black Sesame Soy Milk Pudding Tart.

It will also bring together 26 hotels at the Central Harbourfront, each serving up its signature dishes, such as Hong Kong-style satay beef bun from Kowloon Shangri-La in Tsim Sha Tsui and three signature Pandan Cakes with Coconut Ice Cream from The Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel in Southern district.

Immediately following the festival, the board will roll out “Hong Kong Gourmet Month”, presenting limited-edition gourmet dishes and dining discounts throughout November. Festival-goers can also present their ticket stubs to enjoy exclusive offers at selected restaurants, retailers and business associations.

Tickets will be available online for American Express cardholders via Trip.com from Wednesday until October 12, after which sales will be open to the general public. Tasting Passes, Grand Wine Passes and tickets for the Tasting Room’s “Taste of Time” banquet and other dining events will be available for public purchase from October 12.