Hong Kong has one of the world's most festive Christmases. Hong Kong people have celebrated Christmas perhaps the most grandly in all of East Asia. There is a two-day public holiday, and people usually enjoy dry, mild, and even sunny weather for Christmas.
Hong people enjoy 3-day official public holidays for Christmas.
- December 25th (Saturday): Christmas Day
- December 26th (Sunday): Day following Christmas (Boxing Day)
- December 27th (Monday): The first weekday after Christmas Day (Family Day)
It is usually a good time during tourist low season to see the world's favorite tourist city. See the fantastic Christmas displays, enjoy fine food, and shop for Christmas.
Major Christmas Season Events
Christmas Carolers in Hong Kong- Disneyland – Christmas-themed amusement and entertainment will start in November and continue to New Year's Day.
- The Hong Kong Ballet – the Nutcracker is a delight for those who enjoy fine opera and ballet.
- The Hong Kong Philharmonic – selections of classic Christmas pieces.
- WinterFest – a variety of specials, promotions, Christmas displays, and events.
- For the Hong Kong Symphony of Lights – the buildings will feature Christmas light decorations.
- The International Light Art Display on the Central Harbourfront will be a light art exhibit free for the public.
- Major displays will be in the big malls and the important city squares.
- Churches and Christians take Christmas seriously with big religious events, carol singing, and special performances.
- Gourmet Christmas dinners will be hosted by posh hotels and top gourmet restaurants.
Hong Kong WinterFest 2024
- Date: November 26th, 2024 – January 2nd, 2025
- Venue: Harbourside Lawn West, Art Park, West Kowloon Cultural District
- Admission: Free
| Date | Openning Time |
|---|---|
| November 26 to December 21 | Monday to Friday: 5–11pm Saturday & Sunday: 11am to 11pm |
| December 22 to 23 | 11am to 11pm |
| December 24 to 25 | 11am to 1am |
| December 31 | 11am to 6pm |
| January 1 to 2 | 11am to 11pm |
The American CNN television network named the Hong Kong WinterFest as one of the Top 10 places to spend Christmas in the whole world.
You will see the Christmas lights on dozens of buildings along Victoria Harbour choreographed in a light show with Christmas and New Year's decorations. During WinterFest, most of the city is aglow with festive lighting and laser imagery.
Victoria Harbour may be a dazzling sight especially when the fireworks burst in the light show on New Year's Eve night to mark the beginning of a new decade! However, in order to stop protests, the government might cancel this event and any other large gathering.
The Nutcracker - Hong Kong Ballet
- Venue: Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui
- Performance: about 1hr 45mins including 1 intermission
- Tickets: $1,000 (Limited VIP Tickets), $680, $480, $320, $180
- Audience: Ages 3 and above
| Date | Time |
|---|---|
| December 14 to 17 | 7:30pm |
| December 18 to 19 | 2:30pm & 7:30pm |
| December 21 to 24 | 7:30pm |
| December 25 to 26 | 2:30pm & 7:30pm |
The Nutcracker is a world-renowned operatic ballet and a special Yuletide tradition enjoyed by audiences of all ages. It is set to a score by the famed composer Tchaikovsky.
The tale begins when a young girl named Clara receives a Nutcracker as a Christmas gift. The Hong Kong Ballet will feature sumptuous sets and costumes and live music by the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. There will be jazzy 21st century choreography inspired by Terence Kohler.
Hong Kong Pulse 3D Light Show
Hong Kong Symphony of LightsAs part of the WinterFest, this high-tech laser audiovisual display has dazzled the crowds in and around the plaza of the clock tower at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui. This area is adjacent to the Star Ferry Terminal.
For the show, lasers tuned for 3D projection mapping play up pictures that fly around the plaza and the adjacent buildings. It is astounding and crowded. It is much more popular than the regular Symphony of Lights.
Address: Open Piazza, Hong Kong Cultural Center, 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon.
Christmas Symphony of Lights (Every Night at 8 pm)
ICC Tower lighting effectsEvery night in December, you can head to Victoria Harbour and watch the free holiday light show of the Symphony of Lights. Many more lasers and LED screens make a bigger spectacle than ever before.
The best light show view is along the Avenue of Stars promenade where you can see the 3-D Pulse show too when it is running and hear the narrative and music from the Hong Kong Philharmonic.
You can also watch while having a meal on a restaurant boat or while simply riding the Star Ferry during the Symphony of Lights display.
Loudspeakers broadcast music and an accompanying narrative. In December, a lot of buildings will display their own special Christmas light effects to complement the architectural choreography show.
New Year 2024 Firework Display
Hong Kongers like to celebrate both the Western New Year and the Chinese New Year in a big way. If you're in Hong Kong on December 31, 2024, don't miss the fireworks spectacular in the New Year's countdown. Some of the same buildings involved in the Symphony of Lights usually take part in this spectacle.
Victoria Harbour is one of the best places to enjoy this 10-minute musical fireworks show without admission fee, which starts when the clock ticks 12.
Hong Kong Disneyland's "A Disney Christmas"
Hong Kong DisneylandDate: November 20, 2024 – January 2, 2025
Disneyland will present amusement and entertainment starting November to New Year's Day.
More about A Disney Christmas >>>
Noah's Ark Theme Park Christmas Activities
Noah's Ark is an ideal place to take children for Christmas. It is innately child friendly, with traditional and novel Christmas activities.
Nativity Scene performances will be staged along with sports training weekends. For young girls, the park has featured "Bear's Sushi Production Class" to learn creative dishes; and for boys, the park's sports/obstacle course arena featured "Trolltech Sports Training School."
Excellent Christmas-themed family buffets will be hosted in their beautiful grand dining room at the bow of the Ark. The setting is memorable as it overlooks the channel. Enjoying the beach are other things to do to complete a fun day. The Ark building including a hotel, museum and dining facilities is a replica of Noah's Ark. It is on a good public beach with facilities.
Ocean Park Christmas Sensation
- Date: December 11th, 2024 to January 2nd, 2025
- Admission: HK$498 for adult and HK$249 for child (aged 3-11)
Ocean Park will officially kick off the Ocean Park Christmas celebration. The entire park will be decked out with festive decorations such as a giant Christmas tree, artificial snow, and Santa's Cottage.
Highlights of HK Ocean Park Christmas Celebrations:
- European-style Christmas Market (from 2pm to 8pm)
- Christmas Arrangements of Visions of Hong Kong (8pm nightsly)
- Louis Yan Magic Viva (12:30pm, 2:45pm, 5pm, 7:15pm)
- Christmas Shining Bright Party (6:30pm)
- Kanahei x Ocean Park Animals
Major Christmas Displays and Decorations
Big displays and graphics at the 1881 Heritage.Every shopping mall dons Christmas decorations, and the ritziest malls put up spectacular and expensive displays. 1881 Heritage near the Star Ferry Terminal, Harbour City, Langham Place, Elements Mall and the IFC Mall will put up dazzling, intricate and large displays.
1881 Heritage: The ritzy hotel on Victoria Harbour will build grand themed decorations in its front plaza.
Statue Square Christmas display: Every year, the best display is hosted at Statue Square by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. These will be epic displays put up by big jewelry companies such as BVLGARI. The Bank of China Tower skyscraper is a shiny crystal-like mirror backdrop.
Local Celebrations, Carolling, Services
Along with these big public events, churches, millions of local people, and many businesses, restaurants, and hotels will celebrate Christmas as well. Many of the excellent restaurants and hotels will have Christmas celebrations and special dinners that the locals attend.
In the days before Christmas and on Christmas Eve, groups of carolers from churches and schools will walk and sing in the parks and malls. You might spot groups of children, teenagers, and adults walking in Central, Kowloon Park and elsewhere joyfully singing. Music groups and orchestras will put on free concerts.
Many churches will put on special Christmas-related programs about Jesus' birth. Churches and many Christians take Christmas seriously with big religious events, carol singing, and special performances. See the Top 5 English Speaking Churches in Hong Kong.
Christmas Sales and Markets
Christmas shopping in Hong Kong has everything but the snow.During Christmas season, you'll find that all across the region, everything is at bargain prices. The local stores and malls have big backlogs of unsold products, and they need to sell their inventory to make way for new products.
Usually, there aren't pre-Christmas sales with lower prices to attract shoppers. Instead, during the Christmas to Chinese New Year winter shopping season, prices actually went up. However, the malls now attract customers through special Christmas displays and entertainment and low prices.
Christmas gifts of electronics, clothing, and other common items might be bought at the street markets such as Ladies Market in Mongkok (clothing, electronics, souvenirs, pets, jewelry, etc.). However, the shopping districts and malls are among the main places for protests, and there are police and officials patrolling and stopping people to question and search them.
Temple Street near the harbor is where you'll find a variety of products for tourists plus many open-air restaurants for Chinese food.
Excellent Christmas Season Dining
The IFC's Lung King Heen is the best for Cantonese cuisine in Hong Kong. The ethereal dining room is ideal for watching the light show all around the harbor.Hong Kong is a culinary capital. It is known for having more excellent restaurants than any other similarly-sized location in Asia (as ranked by Michelin and other such ratings bodies). Many of the world-class 4-star and 5-star hotels in Hong Kong will serve special Christmas dinners from about the 22nd of December until Christmas Day.
Hong Kong garnered 69 Michelin-starred restaurants in 2021, and many are quite affordable for the average tourist although they might not have special Christmas fare.
For a more Christian atmosphere for your Christmas celebration, a place to go is the Salisbury YMCA with a grand view of the Victoria waterfront. Within, two restaurants serve buffets. Several churches meet there on Sundays, and there is a Christian bookstore for gifts.
Touring Hong Kong / China with Us at Christmas
Touring Hong Kong with China HighlightsHong Kong has been the world's most popular tourist city.
The last half of December is usually an excellent time for touring Hong Kong. Our experts can help you have the best experiences. Airfares and hotel prices this year are unusually low, so it is a good opportunity for a Hong Kong tour at unheard-of prices. We can help you find the best deals on flights and hotel rooms.
For your Christmas holidays, we can arrange a fine Hong Kong tour for you and help you tour the Mainland as well.
Recommended Customizable Tour Ideas:
- 4-Day Hong Kong Family Tour - covering Disneyland Park and the highlights of Hong Kong Island, like Victoria Peak and Aberdeen
- Imperial and Scenic China Family Tour - During the Christmas season, you and your family will be amazed at top family destinations: Beijing, Guilin, and Hong Kong.
- See more Hong Kong tour packages.
Or let us help you plan a tailor-made Hong Kong tour.