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Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong by eating mooncakes, making lanterns and gazing at the huge full moon. Find out more about the Chinese Moon Festival and check out the Mid-Autumn Festival activities for kids.
The Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Festival is a great holiday to celebrate with the family whether you’re a born-and-raised 852 kid or a newbie to this bustling city. This traditional festival is all about bringing the family together, eating plenty of mooncakes and encouraging your kids to get involved with at-home activities. We’ve got the lowdown on the history and customs that goes together with the Moon Festival so you can enjoy it with the whole gang. Here’s our 2023 Mid-Autumn Festival Guide for families in Hong Kong.
Read More: Sassy Mama’s Guide To Festivities Around The Globe
When Is Hong Kong’s Mid-Autumn Festival 2023?
This year we’re celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival on Friday, 29 September 2023, which means the fun starts from the evening of Thursday, 28 September 2023. Get your lanterns ready to head to outdoor parks and playgrounds!
Read More: The Best Outdoor Playgrounds And Parks In Hong Kong
The History Of Mid-Autumn Festival
Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most colourful events in Hong Kong, lighting up the city with bright lanterns, light shows and fiery dragon dances.
Usually celebrated as a harvest festival, this long-held tradition dates back to the Tang dynasty (from around 600 AD). It would also give workers far away a chance to return home to their families. At the time, people would gather to make offerings of food and drink to the Moon Goddess, Chang’e, paying their respects and giving thanks for the crops harvested during the year. Legend has it that Chang’e blesses her worshippers with beauty, so people lit lanterns in her honour (and to make sure that she can see them clearly from the sky).
The Mid-Autumn Festival is all about light, so a household really wouldn’t be complete without a fabulous lantern to guide the way. Historically, the lanterns were made from paper and lit with candles but nowadays they tend to be plastic, battery operated (safe and reusable is always a win, right, Mamas?) and come in every shape and cartoon character you can think of. Be warned — some come with electronic tunes that play non-stop!
Read More: 101 Things To Do In Hong Kong With Kids
The Mooncake Festival In Hong Kong
You either love ’em or could do without ’em, but the entire Mid-Autumn Festival revolves around having a sliver (or more) of this seasonal treat. Celebrated as a thanksgiving for the harvest, the main symbol of this season is the full moon represented in a mooncake.
It is said that in the Yuan dynasty, mooncakes were used as a means to pass secret messages between revolutionaries. Well, many centuries later, the mooncake has evolved into an assortment of different tastes. Typically shared between the entire family after a special dinner gathering, the cakes are traditionally filled with a smooth but dense lotus seed paste encasing an entire egg yolk at the centre.
An acquired taste for some, but once appreciated, you’ll be wondering what you ever did without them! Not to fret if you’re not a fan of the traditional mooncake, as there are many different variations to suit the changing palates of Hong Kongers.
Read More: The Best Mooncakes In Hong Kong This Year
Family-Friendly Mid-Autumn Festival Activities
Throughout Hong Kong, you’ll find lanterns strung about ready to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Typically, Hong Kong is never one to shy away from celebrating local customs on a grand scale!
Fire Dragon Dance, Tai Hang
The Fire Dragon Dance is one of the most important events to experience over the holiday — definitely one to cross off your Hong Kong bucket list! The Fire Dragon Dance draws the largest crowds for its liveliness, origin and reputation and is found in the heart of Tai Hang village.
This traditional dance dates back to the 19th century when the Tai Hang villagers were dealing with catastrophe after catastrophe. From a raging typhoon to an awful plague, followed by an alleged python eating their livestock, the Tai Hang villagers simply couldn’t get a break. To get out of this bout of bad luck, a soothsayer said they needed to perform a fire dance for three days and three nights during the Mid-Autumn Festival. So the villagers created a large dragon made out of straw and then covered it with incense to ward off evil spirits. Along with loud firecrackers and drummers, the villagers danced for three days and, truth be told, the plague ceased.
You can catch this fiery and smoky performance every year in the back streets of Tai Hang village. We’re talking about 300 performers, 7,000 incense sticks and a 67-metre-long dragon that will leave you in a wide-eyed trance!
When: Thursday, 28 September to Saturday, 30 September 2023.
Where: Lily Street, Ormsby Street to Tung Lo Wan Road, Tai Hang, Hong Kong (check out the parade route map for best vantage points)
Read More: Kids’ Activities – Things To Do With Kids In Hong Kong
Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival Victoria Park (To Be Confirmed)
We hope to hear more soon about the famous community Lantern Festivals run by LCSD after a few years’ hiatus. In the meantime, we’ve put together some easy crafts so you can celebrate by making your own lanterns, drums, dragons and even mooncakes.
Hong Kong pulls out all the stops when it comes to the intricately decorated and beautifully designed lanterns that are on display across various neighbourhoods all over the city. Besides the brightly lit lanterns, there are usually game stalls, palm reading and even traditional stage shows. Don’t forget your cameras and better yet, buy your kids their own Mid-Autumn lanterns at the stalls (which come in all shapes and sizes including their favourite Disney character!) to add to the fun.
The largest and most popular carnival is found in Victoria Park in Causeway Bay but there are usually lantern carnivals spread throughout Hong Kong.
Read More: Mid-Autumn Crafts And Activities To Do With Your Kids
Mid-Autumn Festival Lantern Displays
Be prepared for a thematic display of lanterns that will make your September a magical one with the littlest members of your family. Trust us, your kids won’t be the only ones ooh-ing and ahh-ing! Keep your eye out as you pass through the city’s shopping malls (our pick is Lee Tung Avenue in Wan Chai) for traditional and colourful Chinese lanterns.
Other Ways To Celebrate The Mid-Autumn Festival In Hong Kong
While quite a number of carnivals and dragon dance performances may be on hold, Hong Kongers take celebration into their own hands and best believe you’re in for a long night on the eve of the Moon Festival. Here are some alternate (but equally lively and fun) ways to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival:
- Head to one of the many family-friendly beaches in Hong Kong ready with your lanterns (and possibly BBQ equipment!). We spot families decorating tents by the beach every year and it’s a ton of fun!
- Take on a night hike and see the city all lit up from above (suitable for older kids and experienced families)
- Dine at a rooftop bar and catch the full moon
- Venture out to Tai O Fishing Village for a lantern extravaganza where the whole village comes to life
- Book your tables at your favourite Chinese restaurants for dim sum and poon choi!
- Grab your picnic basket and lights and head to an outdoor park — get there slightly early to get a good spot because there will be lots of families!
Read More: Tai O Fishing Village – Family Restaurants, Hikes And More
Editor’s Note: “Celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival In Hong Kong 2023 – Mooncakes, Lanterns And More” was most recently updated in August 2023 by Sassy Mama. Thanks to Danielle Roberts, Jess Mizzi and Fashila Kanakka for their contribution.
