September – October

Horse racing returns to Hong Kong in September following a two-month summer hiatus. At Happy Valley Racecourse on Wednesday nights, bets are placed amid a party atmosphere with food, drinks and live entertainment between races. On Sundays and some Saturdays, afternoon races are held at Sha Tin Racecourse.

It’s also time for Mid-Autumn Festival, one of Hong Kong’s most important traditional celebrations. The holiday is marked with lantern displays – the one at Victoria Park is particularly impressive – and mooncakes, which are pastries traditionally filled with egg yolk and lotus seed paste but also available in more contemporary flavours like chocolate. The neighbourhood of Tai Hang presents its distinctive Fire Dragon Dance, a must-see street performance featuring a dragon made of incense sticks.

National Day takes place on 1 October: a public holiday in Hong Kong, celebrated with another spectacular fireworks display over Victoria Harbour.

October brings more sporting action with the New World Harbour Race, in which competitors swim from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon, and the Hong Kong Tennis Open, where world-class players face off for singles and doubles tournament titles on the blue hard court of Victoria Park Tennis Stadium. And for those seeking Halloween fun, Hong Kong goes all out. Thousands of partygoers descend on the bars of Lan Kwai Fong decked out in fancy dress, while at Ocean Park ghosts and ghouls turn up for the amusement park’s annual Halloween Fest.

The party continues with the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival, hosted at the Central Harbourfront every year in late October. It’s a celebration of wines, beers, spirits and gourmet treats from around the world – complete with live onstage performances held against the backdrop of Hong Kong Island’s skyline.