Up for some yitnaau (hot and noisy) Chinese religious celebrations in a 245-year-old temple?
The Hung Shing Festival falls on the 13th day of the second lunar month each year (13 February, 2024), and to celebrate, there will be a week-long event on the island neighborhood of Ap Lei Chau with colorful parades, Chinese opera performances, dragon and lion dances, and more religious rituals.
History
![Hung Shing Festival](https://cdn.cheapoguides.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2019/03/HungShingFestival_3Chester-Ku-770x513.jpg)
It’s a festival to honor Hung Shing, god of the southern sea. Another legend said that Hung was a governor who helped fishermen with his vast knowledge in astronomy and geography. After Hung died, he was made a deity and worshipped by fishermen around the Canton area.
Today, the century-old celebration in Ap Lei Chau, the former fishery village, has evolved into a major cultural festival for locals and tourists alike. It was inscribed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in Hong Kong in 2014.
![Hung Shing Festival](https://cdn.cheapoguides.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2019/03/HungShingFestival_11Chester-Ku-770x513.jpg)
What happens?
Hung Shing Festival will last for about a week. A serious of religious rituals will be carried out in 245-year-old Hung Shing Temple, a declared monument in Hong Kong, between February 19 and March 6 for both worshippers and the public. There will also be activities around the neighborhood.
![Hung Shing Festival](https://cdn.cheapoguides.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2019/03/HungShingFestival_13Chester-Ku-770x513.jpg)
Schedule 2024
The 2024 schedule has yet to be confirmed but in 2022, the highlights included the processions along the Ap Lei Chau main street, Chinese opera performances inside a temporary bamboo theatre — the bamboo theatre is an attraction of its own — at Ap Lei Chau Football Court.
A similar celebration takes place in the 800-year-old Ho Sheung Heung village in the New Territories, too.
- 0.6 km from Prince Edward Kwun Tong LineTsuen Wan Line
- 0.6 km from Olympic Tung Chung Line
- 0.7 km from Mong Kok Tsuen Wan Line