Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Festival Holiday

The city of Hong Kong observes the Mid-Autumn Festival every year on the full moon of the 8th month’s 15th day of the Chinese calendar. According to the Gregorian calendar, the day falls in the month of September or October annually. Hong Kong declares the day following this festival as a public holiday. It is a harvest festival and dates back to more than 3,000 years when the Shang Dynasty ruled over the country. It was a time when the people of China showed their gratitude to the moon god in lieu of the harvest. The festival was an occasion of togetherness and people pray to the moon god. It is still an occasion when families in Hong Kong love to spend their time together.

Following are the dates and days on which Hong Kong will have a public holiday to celebrate this festival:

DateDayPublic Holiday
14 Sep 2019SaturdayMid-Autumn Festival 2019
01 Oct 2020ThursdayMid-Autumn Festival 2020
21 Sep 2021TuesdayMid-Autumn Festival 2021
10 Sep 2022SaturdayMid-Autumn Festival 2022
29 Sep 2023FridayMid-Autumn Festival 2023
17 Sep 2024TuesdayMid-Autumn Festival 2024
06 Oct 2025MondayMid-Autumn Festival 2025
26 Sep 2026SaturdayMid-Autumn Festival 2026
16 Sep 2027ThursdayMid-Autumn Festival 2027
04 Oct 2028WednesdayMid-Autumn Festival 2028
23 Sep 2029Sunday*Mid-Autumn Festival 2029
24 Sep 2029MondayMid-Autumn Festival Holiday 2029
13 Sep 2030FridayMid-Autumn Festival 2030
01 Oct 2031WednesdayMid-Autumn Festival 2031
20 Sep 2032MondayMid-Autumn Festival 2032
08 Oct 2033SaturdayMid-Autumn Festival 2033
28 Sep 2034ThursdayMid-Autumn Festival 2034
17 Sep 2035MondayMid-Autumn Festival 2035
05 Oct 2036Sunday*Mid-Autumn Festival 2036
06 Oct 2036MondayMid-Autumn Festival Holiday 2036
25 Sep 2037FridayMid-Autumn Festival 2037
14 Sep 2038TuesdayMid-Autumn Festival 2038
03 Oct 2039MondayMid-Autumn Festival 2039
21 Sep 2040FridayMid-Autumn Festival 2040
11 Sep 2041WednesdayMid-Autumn Festival 2041
29 Sep 2042MondayMid-Autumn Festival 2042
18 Sep 2043FridayMid-Autumn Festival 2043
06 Oct 2044ThursdayMid-Autumn Festival 2044
26 Sep 2045TuesdayMid-Autumn Festival 2045
16 Sep 2046Sunday*Mid-Autumn Festival 2046
17 Sep 2046MondayMid-Autumn Festival Holiday 2046
05 Oct 2047SaturdayMid-Autumn Festival 2047
23 Sep 2048WednesdayMid-Autumn Festival 2048
12 Sep 2049Sunday*Mid-Autumn Festival 2049
13 Sep 2049MondayMid-Autumn Festival Holiday 2049
01 Oct 2050SaturdayMid-Autumn Festival 2050

Hong Kong Public Holidays

HKSAR Establishment Day in Hong Kong

National Day in Hong Kong

How Do They Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong KongAs mentioned earlier, families in the past would come together and offer spherical fruits like pomegranates, grapes, pears, osmanthus-flavoured wine, as well as, mooncakes to the gods in heaven and expressed their joy and gratitude for a rich harvest. They also enjoyed a get-together with their family members, especially those who stayed far away. For many Hong Kongers, it is one of the year’s most prominent festivals.

Although Hong Kong has become highly urbanized today, the city still celebrates the holiday in style in its characteristic way of mixing innovation with tradition and culture. As always, the city celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival with different types of festivities and cultural events. It is also the Moon Festival and is the second most prominent traditional festival in the city after the Chinese New Year. Although this Chinese festival is an ancient one, it is an epitome of love and romance.

What to Do During the Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong?

Check out some of the other important things people in Hong Kong love to do during this festival:

Mooncakes

In case you are traveling to the city during this Chinese festival, you simply cannot miss noticing the mooncakes. Many in China believe that the mooncakes have their roots in the revolutionaries of the Yuan dynasty. The people utilize the pastries for transferring secret messages with one another. Typically, mooncakes put together with a paste of lotus seeds and egg yolks. However, in Hong Kong, all items are given a modern facelift and mooncakes are no exception. You will notice an interesting addition of creative fillings for these pastries to tickle your taste buds in Hong Kong. To put it simply, mooncakes are an important and integral part of this ancient Chinese festival.

Carnivals and Lantern Displays

In Hong Kong, different neighborhoods arrange a series of magical and enchanting carnivals and lantern festivals as a mark of homage to the festival. The festival is a celebration with traditional stage shows, game stalls, lantern riddle quizzes, and palm readings among others. The biggest of these carnivals to mark the festival is in the city’s Victoria Park.

Fire Dragon Dance

In the 19th century, the inhabitants of Tai Hang village put an end to the plague by a miracle, which was a fire dragon dance. It was the start of a new tradition, which has become quite popular these days and has also emerged as a key feature of the celebrations associated with the festival in the island city.

Watch Lion Dance in Hong Kong

It is also a time when many people in the city love watching the famous lion dance that happens in several parts of Hong Kong. It is a special dance that has 2 persons attired in a spectacular costume and indulging in fantastic feats of dance and balance.

Male Hairy Crabs in High Demand in the Restaurants

The hairy crab is a much sought-after delicacy during this Chinese festival. These crabs are available every year for only a few months starting from September. It is unusual and intriguing that the demands for male hairy crabs are more as compared to their female counterparts. It is a costly item on the menus of several restaurants in Hong Kong during this annual festival. The delicacy is frequently consumed with ginger tea or Chinese wines.

The Mid-Autumn Festival continues for an entire week every week. During this period the city is transformed into a different entity altogether as there is light, colour, and sounds everywhere. You will find lanterns across the neighbourhoods and all over the city ranging from ancient and traditional style, paper, and modern ones. Kids in the city are elated with the fun lanterns given to them. Many refer to the festival as the Lantern Festival. Some of the most happening locations to be during this time are Victoria Park, Victoria Harbor, and Causeway Bay. However, several villages and towns also put up special shows.

Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Festival Holiday