That's all, folks!

Tens of thousands of people said farewell to the rubber ducks on Victoria Harbour yesterday as the exhibition ended with one of the yellow giants floating from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui.

The two ducks, each 18 meters tall, are created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman with local organizer AllRightsReserved.

The 10-day exhibition began on June 9 and had attracted hundreds of thousands of residents and tourists happy to take pictures with them at the Central Harbourfront near Tamar Park.

But the exhibition this time was much shorter than the one 10 years ago, which lasted over a month.

The organizer said the ducks would have to leave a week earlier than planned due to "unexpected challenges" - the hot weather and the rising operation costs.

The first large outdoor inflatable art installation parade along Victoria Harbour began at 1pm, when one of the ducks departed for Causeway Bay.

It passed through Fortress Hill, headed to the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade and floated along the Avenue of Stars before returning to waters off the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.

A fan surnamed Lai, who dressed her doll of singer Keung To in rubber duck-themed clothes, said she was surprised by how far the duck could go, having only expected it simply cross Victoria Harbour.

A mainland couple surnamed Liu stayed for as long as possible before heading to West Kowloon Station to catch a high-speed train back to Guangzhou.

"It is the first time I've seen such giant ducks and they are moving around. They're cute and I hope we can see them again in the future," they said.

A family of five arrived at the promenade at 1pm after leaving home when it was raining. Their five-year-old boy wore a pair of rubber duck-themed rain boots because he was "meeting with the two giant friends."

The father, Wong, said: "Watching it coming closer and closer reminded me of my childhood when playing with my own toy duck at a swimming pool."

At about 2.10pm, the duck floated past Fortress Hill and turned toward Tsim Sha Tsui to cross the Victoria Harbour. It reached the Avenue of Stars by about 2.35pm and finished its parade at 4pm before returning to the waters opposite the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The other yellow will stay in waters off Central until this morning.

The organizer thanked all parties for their support of the event that "brought happiness to Hong Kong people after the pandemic."

ARR founder Lam Shu-kam added: "We also want to thank the local and international teams who have tirelessly maintained the Double Ducks in all weather conditions, as well as all the residents and tourists who have come to experience this harmony between life and art."

stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.com