Hong Kong Unveils Events, Activities for Chinese New Year
Hong Kong will welcome the most significant event on the Chinese calendar and Hong Kong’s grandest festival for 2011, the “Year of the Rabbit,” with spectacular activities. Traditionally, the Year of the Rabbit is associated with home, family, artistic pursuits, diplomacy and peace -- auguring tranquility and blessings for the year ahead -- so there is no more fitting way to kick off the new year than with spectacular light shows, fireworks, elaborate floats and creative performances, and the company of family and friends.
On Feb. 3, the first day of the Chinese New Year, the celebrations get rolling with the annual Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade, selected as one of the world’s top must-see events by Lonely Planet. Featuring leading international and local performers, more than a dozen of the parade’s intricately crafted floats will accompany them along Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon.
The day after the parade on Feb. 4, delighted onlookers in the tens of thousands gather for the grand fireworks display that lights up the sky over stunning Victoria Harbor against the backdrop of Hong Kong’s skyline and mountains. Entertainment for the Night Parade will showcase popular performance groups from around the world.
Stimulating the other senses and picking up on the festive atmosphere in the streets, local restaurants and hotels add to the festivities with themed events and special menus for Chinese New Year. The Conrad Hong Kong, for instance, is hosting a Lion Dance and God of Fortune performance in its lobby on the first day of the New Year in a gesture intended to bring health, fortune and wealth to its guests.
The InterContinental Hong Kong is presenting guests with special Chinese New Year dinners and spectacular views of Victoria Harbor during the fireworks. For guests who yearn for a more hands-on experience, the InterContinental’s Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant, Yan Toh Heen, will host a Chinese New Year savory pudding- and dumpling- making class with celebrated Executive Chef Lau Yiu Fai.
Many of the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s partners are offering affordable packages, making it easy for Americans to experience one of the world’s great not-to-be-missed celebrations. For example: Gala Holidays has put together another attractive option, with an air-inclusive Chinese New Year package starting at $999.
GloboTours is serving five-night hotel accommodations and roundtrip air on Cathay Pacific Airways from Los Angeles, San Francisco or New York. From $1,599, travelers can savor five complimentary breakfasts, Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner, tickets to the Chinese New Year Parade and fireworks display, tour of New Year’s Eve Flower Market Carnival, half-day tour of Hong Kong Island, Meet the People program, airport transfers, plus city maps and guides.
