Lee Tung Avenue launches Mid-Autumn lantern festival
Bastillepost · 2 SOURCES43 minutes ago2 MIN
Summary
Lee Tung Avenue in Wan Chai has rolled out its Mid-Autumn Festival programme, “Lanterns and Moonlight”, running from September 4 to October 19 along its 200-metre tree-lined boulevard. More than 800 Chinese lanterns have been installed, combining traditional festive styling with new design elements, while this year’s palace lanterns debut paper-cut-inspired illustrations of classic Mid-Autumn legends and family reunion scenes. The headline event is the return of an 18-metre LED fire dragon on September 25, accompanied by LED lion dancers, drummers and smoke effects in a roughly 45-minute parade route through Lee Tung Avenue and nearby entrances on Queen’s Road East and Johnston Road. The festival also features a Hang Heung Bakery pop-up, DIY lantern activities, a weekend market, a September 26 concert and spending rewards for members and visitors.
Key Points
- The outdoor display runs from September 4 to October 19, with over 800 lanterns suspended above Lee Tung Avenue’s 200-metre boulevard in warm multicoloured tones.
- This year’s lantern design first adopts a traditional paper-cut style, depicting Hou Yi shooting the suns, Chang’e flying to the moon, the Jade Rabbit and Wu Gang.
- The “LED Fire Dragon Drums for Mid-Autumn” finale starts at 8:30pm on September 25, lasts about 45 minutes and extends same-day lighting until midnight.
- Hang Heung Bakery’s limited-time Mid-Autumn pop-up at the central courtyard runs until September 25, featuring a giant golden mooncake display and a “future mailbox”.
- Promotions include a DIY mini palace lantern redemption with HK$300 same-day e-payment, Mid-Autumn gift boxes, Golden Week vouchers and tourist giveaways until October 7.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the event packages a traditional festival into a walkable urban attraction that combines heritage imagery, retail activity and free public viewing in a busy district. The return of the LED fire dragon also gives residents and visitors another accessible way to experience a local intangible cultural heritage tradition without the smoke and fire of a conventional performance.