HK to feature giant pandas and milk tea floats in CNY night parade

The upcoming Chinese New Year night parade in Hong Kong is expected to attract around 100,000 spectators. Organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and sponsored by Cathay Pacific, the show will feature floats that highlight the city’s charm, including giant pandas and Hong Kong-style milk tea.

This year’s annual parade is themed “Unfold a year of good fortune (如意新春 喜樂連連)”. It combines performers from around the world with distinctive Hong Kong flavours presented by the floats to reflect the city’s status as an events capital for festivities with unique glamour. 

This year’s parade will feature nine floats, many of which act as Hong Kong tourism ambassadors by highlighting the city’s charm. Among these floats will be famous Hong Kong icons, including giant pandas, who will be featured alongside a float themed around Hong Kong-style milk tea. Other floats will draw inspiration from the snake motif, incorporate elements of local festivities, and carry cheerful Lunar New Year messages and greetings, featuring windmills, lyrical couplets, and blooming flowers.

The parade will also feature a total of 55 floats and performances, including local, global, and pre-parade acts, surpassing last year's count, according to the release. It aims to bring a bigger and more spectacular Lunar New Year experience to the spectators.

A total of 14 countries and regions will be represented, including Hong Kong, with France, Argentina, Austria, India, Indonesia, and Thailand as the newcomers. Following the trends of Asian idols favoured by young people, the parade will feature performances from Thai boy band LYKN and the K-pop girl group Kep1er.

There will be 16 performing groups from mainland and overseas, such as the winner of 2020 America's Got Talent The Champions, Austrian acrobatic show group V.UNBEATABLE DANCE GROUP, the runner-up of 2018 America's Got Talent Zurcaroh, and the dance crew, the first Golden Buzzer winner of the 2023 Indonesia’s Got Talent contest BRAVERY DANCERS. Meanwhile, 12 performing groups will represent Hong Kong's talents, featuring skills such as dancing, cheerleading, gymnastics, and rope skipping. Among them are the Hong Kong Rope Skipping Association and Chestroll Dance Crew.

The parade will begin at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza and will work its way through Canton Road, Haiphong Road, and Nathan Road before arriving at Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel and Towers. 

To extend the excitement of the night parade, HKTB is teaming up with the Hong Kong Well-wishing Festival (香港許願節). The floats and performance stage will be relocated to Lam Tsuen in Tai Po where, from 30 January to 13 February, locals and visitors can see multiple floats at the Lam Tsuen Wishing Square. On the second and third days of the Lunar New Year, locals and visitors can enjoy selected performances presented by mainland and international performing groups who took part in the Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade. 

To attract visitors to celebrate Lunar New Year in Hong Kong, HKTB has launched a one-stop celebration webpage. It brings together details about celebrations across the city, including the Chinese New Year night parade, the fireworks display, the Chinese New Year Raceday, and the Chinese New Year Cup on the first, second, third and fourth days of Lunar New Year respectively, as well as Lunar New Year fairs. Together with temple visits for blessings and other festive activities at popular attractions, the guide will give visitors spending the Lunar New Year in Hong Kong the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the city’s festive culture.

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Pang Yiu Kai, HKTB chairman, said, “Hong Kong is one of the most popular destinations in the world for Lunar New Year celebrations, and the Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade is definitely a highlight of the festivities. The parade will be broadcast live by satellite and webcast around the world and will be a global attraction to remember. This year’s event trumps last year’s as HKTB hopes to kick off the Year of the Snake by showcasing an international carnival featuring performances from all over the world.”

Ronald Lam, Cathay Group chief executive officer, said: “As Hong Kong's home carrier with deep roots in the city for nearly 80 years, Cathay is firmly committed to developing Hong Kong as an international aviation hub. We have been adding more flights and expanding our network to connect our customers with their friends and families from around the world. At the same time, we also play a part in Hong Kong's development into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. We support various international mega events held in the city to promote the local economy.”

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