Hong Kong’s HK$10 million Lunar New Year fireworks display dazzles despite forecast for foggy weather
- Visitors mostly enjoyed a clear view of the stunning 23-minute show
- Wednesday was the hottest second day of the new lunar year since records began
Pig-themed pyrotechnics sparkled over Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour as the city marked the Lunar New Year with a showpiece fireworks display on Wednesday evening.
The weather gods were much kinder than the forecasters had predicted, and fog and drizzle mostly held off so visitors enjoyed a clear view of the 23-minute show.
Hundreds of thousands of people – locals and visitors alike – lined both sides of the harbour to enjoy the HK$10 million display marking the Year of the Pig.
Police used metal barriers to stop people from entering the waterfront boulevard, modelled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which was full by late afternoon.
As the show kicked off, revellers watched in awe, with many using their smartphones to capture the moment. Some asked: “Is that a pig snout?”
Highlights included the display of the number “8” – considered the luckiest number in Chinese culture – and golden ingots in the first scene to symbolise a prosperous year to come.
That was followed by the display of pig noses along with the theme song of popular local cartoon character McDull in the second scene, wishing people all the best in the Year of the Pig.
Local resident Lam Hiu-kwan, 22, said the show was better than last year’s.
“The music and the fireworks matched each other,” the university graduate said. “I could see pig snouts!”
Tourists were also impressed. Chen Yuzhu, 30, a social worker from Shenzhen, said it was her first time to enjoy fireworks in Hong Kong.
“The Cantonese background music fit the scene well. I spotted pig snouts too,” she said.
IT technician Zhang Yi, 40, from Guizhou, said he was lucky to have seen the extravaganza on his first day in Hong Kong. He added it was meaningful to see the pig elements.
To Manuel Anzola, an army officer from Venezuela, the final scene was the best.
“It had the most colours and was the most explosive,” he said
However, the visibility did spark at least one complaint.
Roberto Rossi, a university student from Italy, said: “The most powerful was the ending scene, but it was still too foggy.”
In total, 4.5 tonnes of fireworks – some 23,888 pyrotechnic shells – were fired from three barges anchored 350 metres off the Wan Chai waterfront. The show also featured fireworks making heart shapes to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Police previously estimated that about 280,000 people would watch the extravaganza, on the second night of the new lunar year.
The show cost about HK$10 million, paid for by sponsor Shimao Group, an international investment group.
As people flocked to the harbourfront to grab the best spots for the fireworks, the Observatory said Wednesday had been the hottest second day of the Lunar New Year since records began in the late 19th century.
The maximum temperature recorded at the Observatory was 24.9 degrees at 2.30pm, a record for the second day of the new lunar year.
The previous record was set on February 3, 1973, when the temperature reached 24.4 degrees.
The Observatory had forecast some fog and a few light rain patches for the evening.
