Hong Kong police will close roads in Central starting from 2pm on New Year’s Eve ahead of a countdown event at the Chater Road pedestrian zone, featuring music and light shows to replace fireworks displays after the deadly inferno in Tai Po.
Mason Hung Chung-hing, the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s lead adviser for event and product development, said on Monday that organisers hoped the event, themed “New Hope, New Beginning”, could foster a sense of renewal.
“We will use a new format that combines singing and multimedia light performances to convey positive energy, care and peaceful blessings,” Hung said.
Advertisement
The 2026 countdown event will also feature performances by Australian soft rock duo Air Supply, local artists Jay Fung and Cloud Wan, a children’s choir, and the Hong Kong Police Band.
At midnight, eight landmarks in Central will display a three-minute light show that also serves as 20-second countdown clocks. Live broadcast zones will be located at Chater Garden and Edinburgh Place.
Advertisement
The countdown clock will also be projected on the facade of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.
When asked if the event would include any form of memorial for the victims of the Wang Fuk Court fire, Hung said the board had discussed the matter internally, but it decided against it.