Chinese New Year events to celebrate Year of the Snake in Hong Kong 2025

15 flower markets will be held across the city this year from January 23 to 29, offering auspicious flowers, dry goods ranging from plush toys to festive deco to wacky gadgets, and food stalls for some local nibbles. As usual, the Victoria Park Flower Market will be the biggest and most popular one, but you can expect more or less the same kind of goodies at most of the markets depending on the number of stalls available. Here's a tip – visit on the last day before the markets close to snap up some fantastic discounts!

The annual Chinese New Year Night Parade is back to usher in the Year of the Snake with a vibrant celebration on January 29. A pre-parade street party will get everyone excited from 6pm onwards with juggling acts, magic shows, dancing, and live music. The parade will then officially start at 8pm at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, proceeding along Canton Road, Haiphong Road, and Nathan Road, before ending at the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel. This year's highlights include nine dazzling floats and 46 performance groups, featuring K-pop group Kep1er, Thai boy band LYKN, and many more. Free viewing areas will line the parade route on the day, so get there ahead of time for a good spot! 

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Held high above the iconic Victoria Harbour, this year’s Lunar New Year fireworks display will take place on January 30. Details are yet to be announced but spectators can expect a dazzling show featuring thousands of fireworks lighting up the sky with festive CNY colours and patterns.

If you are bear the crowd, head outside to soak up the festive atmosphere at popular viewing spots like the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, Tamar Park, the Golden Bauhinia Square, and many more. Check out our guide on where to watch fireworks for free in Hong Kong!

The Lunar New Year Lantern Carnivals take place across the city every year, where large-scale lanterns of various themes are put on display. This year, the lantern displays will be on view from January 23 to February 16, lighting up the Hong Kong Cultural Centre every day from 6pm to 11pm.

Aside from the display at Tsim Sha Tsui, there are usually several other Lunar New Year carnivals happening around town offering the public various lantern riddle games, dancing and singing performances, along with stage performances and other activities that highlight the characteristics of Chinese culture. More details coming soon, so stay tuned.

The power of the Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree is legendary. One of the age-old traditions of Chinese New Year in Hong Kong is a visit to this wishing tree in Tai Po, where you write your wishes on a placard and tie it to a mandarin, which is considered an auspicious fruit. It is believed that by throwing the placard high up onto the tree without it falling back down will make your wishes come true. Crowds will no doubt gather around the tree, but there are also usually food vendors selling local snacks and traditional Hakka food, as well as various performances like singing and lion dances.  

Kick off the Year of the Snake with one of the biggest race days on the city's annual calendar. Not only will you get to cheer on your favourite jockeys as they race towards the finish line for the grand Chinese New Year Cup, but you’ll also get to enjoy a variety of entertainment with traditional lion dances, singing performances, and festive eats. So, even if you're not much of a gambler, there are still plenty of reasons to make your way over to the Sha Tin Racecourse.

When it comes to CNY celebrations, making the first incense offering at Wong Tai Sin Temple is one of the biggest traditions in Hong Kong. It is believed that those who enter the temple first and make an offering to the gods by burning incense sticks will receive the biggest of blessings. Thus, every year in the early morning of Chinese New Year's Day, thousands of worshippers gather outside Wong Tai Sin Temple in a bid to be the first ones inside to pray for a new fortuitous year ahead. 

During the second and third days of Chinese New Year, Hongkongers make it a point to visit Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin as many believe that people are more prone to quarrel on the third day of CNY. At the temple, worshippers gather to burn incense, draw fortune sticks, and rotate the copper windmill in a clockwise direction to attract good fortune.