Themed bus tours launched for Yu Lan Festival ahead of main cultural event

The Federation of Hong Kong Chiu Chow Community Organizations has launched themed bus tours for Yu Lan Festival to offer tourists an immersive cultural experience ahead of its annual Yu Lan Cultural Festival next month, which is expected to draw 40,000 visitors. 

The English-language bus tour will take place on Saturday (Aug 29), following a Mandarin session held on August 15. Passengers will board buses decorated with lanterns and atmospheric lighting to visit major festival sites in Sheung Wan, Mong Kok and Sai Wan Ho.

Guided by tour staff, participants can learn how to fold joss paper into yuan bao, or gold ingots, and discover what makes festival sites unique across different districts.

During the tours, visitors can observe traditional practices such as distributing rice for blessings, along with various set-ups including five-metre-tall paper effigies of the Ghost Masters, altars, and rare backstage views of opera costumes and wigs.

Each tour is limited to 30 participants. Registration is available at Hong Kong Tourism Board visitor centres.

Anthony Wu Ting-yuk, chairman of the federation, said rising public interest in Yu Lan culture highlights its strong potential for cultural tourism. He added that with effective promotion and packaging, the long-standing tradition could develop into a landmark cultural event comparable to Halloween, drawing more heritage-minded visitors to Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, the upcoming Yu Lan Cultural Festival will feature an immersive interactive theater production “Cross Beyond,” set against the backdrop of 1960s Sam Kok Pier in Sheung Wan. Through audience engagement with actors, participants will explore the festival’s origins. 

As for the Festival Treats Competition, it has attracted a record-high of more than 300 competitors across over 50 teams from South Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Greater Bay Area.

Wu said he hopes these initiatives will help promote Yu Lan celebrations across different communities and turn the festival into a widely shared local tradition.

To attract younger visitors, the festival is introducing a “merit passbook” stamp collection activity. Participants can collect seven distinct stamp designs by visiting specified festival sites and exchange them at Victoria Park for a limited-edition souvenir display stand.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓