BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
Fireworks, long a defining feature of Hong Kong’s New Year celebrations, will be absent from the skyline as the city welcomes 2026, marking a rare and somber departure from tradition following a devastating fire that claimed at least 161 lives late last year.
For decades, residents and visitors alike have gathered along both sides of Victoria Harbor to watch elaborate pyrotechnic displays explode above the city’s iconic skyscrapers, ushering in the new year with color, noise and spectacle. This year, however, the government has opted to cancel the fireworks out of respect for the victims of a massive blaze in November, the deadliest Hong Kong has seen in generations.
Instead, the city’s tourism authorities have organized a more subdued celebration centered in Central, the bustling business district that also houses the popular nightlife area of Lan Kwai Fong. A live music show featuring soft rock duo Air Supply and several other performers was scheduled for Wednesday night, offering an alternative focal point for revelers. As midnight approaches, the facades of eight prominent buildings across the harbor will transform into synchronized countdown clocks, culminating in a three-minute light show to mark the start of the new year.
Fireworks have traditionally played a central role in Hong Kong’s major celebrations, including New Year’s Day, the Lunar New Year and National Day. The displays, set against one of the world’s most recognizable urban skylines, have typically drawn hundreds of thousands of spectators and served as a major attraction for tourists, boosting business for hotels, restaurants and retailers during peak holiday periods.
Officials have acknowledged that the absence of fireworks is likely to have an economic impact. Rosanna Law, the city’s secretary for culture, sports and tourism, said on Tuesday that some hotels and restaurants would inevitably feel the effects of a quieter celebration. Still, she emphasized that the decision reflected the mood of a city still grappling with collective grief.
Among visitors, reactions were mixed but largely understanding. Annie Wang, a university student visiting from Shanghai, said she had originally planned her trip around the fireworks display but supported the decision to cancel it after learning more about the tragedy.
“It’s quite regretful,” she said, “but there’s no way around it after such a terrible fire.”
Another visitor, Wang Miao, a teacher from the neighboring mainland city of Guangzhou, said she still intended to take part in the official countdown activities in Central. While disappointed to miss the fireworks, she said the absence would not diminish her overall experience.
“It’s a pity, but it doesn’t affect our experience in Hong Kong,” she said.
By early Wednesday evening, crowds had already begun to gather near the performance stage in Central, with people hoping to secure a good view of the musicians and the midnight light display. Police and city staff were deployed to manage pedestrian flows, as authorities sought to balance public safety with a calm and respectful atmosphere.
The decision to cancel fireworks follows a catastrophic fire that broke out in late November at Wang Fuk Court, an apartment complex in the northern district of Tai Po. The blaze, the city’s worst since 1948, tore through buildings that were undergoing extensive renovation and were wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green netting. Investigators have said that substandard protective netting and foam boards installed on windows likely contributed to the rapid spread of the flames.
Thousands of residents were displaced, forced to relocate to transitional housing, hotels and youth hostels. Many lost homes they had spent years saving to buy, and the scale of the tragedy resonated deeply across the city, casting a long shadow over the holiday season.
Hong Kong has previously canceled fireworks in the wake of major disasters or periods of unrest. National Day celebrations were called off in 2013 after a ferry collision killed 39 people the previous year. Lunar New Year fireworks were canceled in 2018 following a fatal bus crash that claimed 19 lives. More recently, displays were scrapped during the anti-government protests of 2019 and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
The absence of fireworks this New Year also carries symbolic weight in a city where such displays are deeply rooted in cultural history. Fireworks are believed to have originated in China more than two millennia ago, when bamboo stalks were thrown into fire and exploded with loud bangs. Over centuries, the practice evolved with the invention of gunpowder, eventually becoming a key element of celebrations meant to drive away evil spirits and usher in good fortune.
According to historical accounts, the first well-documented fireworks can be traced to the Tang dynasty, when a monk named Li Tian is credited with creating early firecrackers by packing gunpowder into hollow bamboo stems and binding them together. That tradition has endured across generations, making their absence in Hong Kong all the more noticeable.
As the city turns the page to 2026 without fireworks lighting up Victoria Harbor, the quieter celebrations reflect both mourning and resilience, as Hong Kong seeks to honor those lost while cautiously looking ahead to the year to come.
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