WinterFest Returns with Massive Christmas Tree & Waterfront Fireworks Shows

The city’s annual end-of-year celebrations, Hong Kong WinterFest, are making a comeback from November 22, 2024-January 1, 2025 at West Kowloon Cultural District. The centrepiece of the festivities will be a massive outdoor Christmas tree, complete with light projections, and four fireworks shows. 

Christmas Town at Harbourside Lawn West will be unveiled at 8:30pm on November 22, and thereafter will be open from 5pm-11pm on weekdays, and 11am-11pm on weekends and from December 21-January 1. It will span 10,000 square feet and be a winter wonderland filled with colourful decorative gift boxes of all sizes. The Christmas lights will come on at 5pm every day, while the light projections on the 20-metre-high tree topped with an octagonal star will begin at 6pm, and will show every hour and at 30 minutes past the hour.

For the first time in WinterFest history, there will also be a Christmas Town’s holiday-themed Festive Light Tunnel. Visitors can take photographs at spots spread out across Christmas Town, which include an eight-metre-long train loaded with gifts, and more than 10 fantastically decorated Christmas trees of different sizes. Spot the hard-working gnomes delivering gifts and spreading cheer, as well as Hong Kong’s iconic pandas dressed in festive costumes. Santa Claus will also make surprise appearances at a Christmas hut for meet-and-greets throughout the holiday.

The other highlight of the celebrations will be the Winter Harbourfront Pyrotechnics that will take place over the waters just across from West Kowloon Art Park. There will be four 10-minute-long shows — the first will kick off at 7:30pm on November 22, followed by three consecutive displays that will begin at 8pm from December 24-26. In addition, there will be the WestK Christmas Market that will be open from Fridays to Sundays between November 22 and December 8, and have more than 30 booths.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board has also confirmed the return of the annual New Year Countdown, which will take place on December 31 over Victoria Harbour. As part of the show, fireworks will be launched from rooftops of iconic buildings on Hong Kong Island. The board has not yet revealed more information about the forthcoming event, but last year’s display was the city’s biggest and longest New Year countdown firework display to date, with fireworks launched from five barges between Central and Causeway Bay and a new musical arrangement that played during the show.

Image credits: Hong Kong Tourism Board

Add The HK HUB to your Google News feed