Show goes on

Tens of thousands of tourists and residents gathered in Tsim Sha Tsui for the pyrotechnic show over Victoria Harbour despite the rainy weather.

Just hours before show time, the Tourism Board decided to light up the sky above the harbor as scheduled based on the latest weather forecast by the observatory.

Hongkongers and tourists alike started gathering at Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade in the afternoon, including photography enthusiasts with equipment who secured a good view two hours before the display.

The dazzling 10-minute display fired off at 8pm, about 130 meters from the shore, and shot up to 100 meters.

Happy faces and the eye-catching initials "HK" brightened up the evening sky to welcome the Labor Day golden week.

Some at the harborfront, however, said the smoke was too heavy to see the patterns clearly.

A traveler from Shenzhen said he had noticed the information about the display before arriving in Hong Kong, adding the city was unique in organizing this kind of event on Labor Day. He added that setting off fireworks is banned in the mainland.

The Victoria Harbour ferry tours to see the show, however, received a lukewarm response due to the unpredictable weather, selling just half of the tickets.

"A cruise can carry 300 to 400 people, but we only received around 200 bookings, far lower than our expectation," said Harbour Cruise-Bauhinia's operations director Rockie Ip Ting-kwok.

Regarding the drone show at the harbor next month, Ip said customers will buy tickets based on the weather, and the booking has not been satisfactory so far.

Shops in Tsim Sha Tsui East anticipated that the display would attract more tourists, boosting their businesses.

A bar-restaurant in the area saw a slight increase in bookings last night, but the venue was not fully booked. Manager Lea said before the show started: "It's around a 5 percent increase compared to yesterday. There are a lot of people calling us [to book a seat]. We still have a lot of seats upstairs, inside, but most likely they want to sit outdoors to see the fireworks. But a lot of walk-ins will also be coming."

The restaurant provided takeaway drinks specially designed for the pyrotechnic show without any special price increase.

stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.com