The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) will stage the Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade on the first day of the Lunar New Year, February 17, in Tsim Sha Tsui, bringing together nearly 60 local and international floats and performance troupes to celebrate the festive season.
This year’s parade carries the theme “Best Fortune．World Party,” while the overall Lunar New Year festive campaign adopts the slogan “Everywhere A Wish,” symbolizing wishes for good fortune, happiness, and prosperity.
The HKTB said the event aims to invite visitors from around the world to experience Hong Kong’s vibrant Lunar New Year atmosphere.
Seated spectator tickets will be available at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, with prices set at HK$600, HK$550, and HK$450. Tickets will go on sale at 8am on Saturday, February 7, at the HKTB Kowloon Visitor Centre at the Star Ferry Pier in Tsim Sha Tsui, on a first-come, first-served basis while stocks last.
Each purchaser may buy up to four tickets per transaction. Visitors will be issued a queue number and allowed to select seats and purchase tickets at a designated time.
Discounts are available for children aged three to 11 and seniors aged 65 or above who are Hong Kong residents, with eligible ticket holders entitled to half-price admission. Children under three may enter free of charge if they do not occupy a seat.
Members of the public and visitors who do not purchase tickets may still watch the parade for free at designated viewing areas along Canton Road, Haiphong Road, and Nathan Road. The parade will also be broadcast live on TVB Jade from 8pm to 9.45pm.
The lineup this year features 12 elaborately designed floats, including three making their debut. After the parade, selected floats will be displayed at various locations across Hong Kong, including Kai Tak Sports Park, starting from the second day of the Lunar New Year.
International participation remains a key highlight. Sixteen overseas troupes from mainland China, Italy, France, Spain, the United States, Canada, Australia, Türkiye, the Philippines, India, and Egypt will take part, with 13 of them performing in Hong Kong for the first time.
Among the featured teams are the Philippines’ MassKara Festival dancers, known for their colorful masks and vibrant costumes; an Italian traditional flag-throwing troupe showcasing Renaissance-era Florentine culture; Türkiye’s illuminated inflatable emoji parade featuring characters more than three meters tall; Egypt’s traditional whirling dancers with swirling, multicolored skirts; and the Xi’an Acrobatic Troupe, which will present high-difficulty pole acrobatics that previously won a national gold award.
Local performers will also play a prominent role, with groups such as Avon Lee International Magic, the Rope Skipping Association, and BLS Dance Production delivering magic shows, rope-skipping performances, and K-pop dance routines.
The parade will begin at 8pm from the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, proceed along Canton Road, Haiphong Road, and Nathan Road, and conclude near the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel.
To warm up the crowd, 15 local performance groups will stage pre-parade shows from around 6pm along the route, offering lion and dragon dances, freestyle rope skipping, street dance, and magic performances ahead of the main procession.
