Written by HK Cheapo
January is for making resolutions, and February is for breaking them. With the start of the Gregorian calendar duly marked, and the Lunar New Year just beginning, the city is settling into 2026 with renewed optimism and energy.
Here are the top events of the month — fill your weekends up with music, arts and culture, traditional festivals, and more.
Festivals
Lunar New Year Fireworks
While New Year’s Eve fireworks didn’t happen, Hong Kong still keeps its biggest bang for Lunar New Year. The Lunar New Year Fireworks light up Victoria Harbour at 8 p.m. and remain one of the city’s most reliably spectacular (and free) annual events, with barges stationed between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui and skyscrapers on both sides joining in the synchronised show.
Hong Kong Well-Wishing Festival
The Hong Kong Well-Wishing Festival is a Lunar New Year tradition best known for its wish-throwing ritual at the Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees in Tai Po. Visitors write their wishes on paper placards, tie them to an orange for good luck, then toss them into the tree’s branches. The higher it lands, the better your chances, according to local belief. Don’t miss this distinctly local festival!
Chinese New Year Night Parade
The Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade returns, marking the beginning of the Year of the Horse. There will be a pre-parade street party at 6 p.m., followed by the main parade 8 p.m. at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, proceeding along Canton Road, Haiphong Road, and Nathan Road, before concluding at the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel. Expect to see elaborately designed floats and a wide variety of performances, from musical acts to juggling and more.
Chinese New Year Lantern Display
The tradition of lantern-making dates back thousands of years, evolving from simple bamboo and silk designs to intricate works of art. Hong Kong is still home to a handful of veteran craftsmen, whose work you can see at this event. In 2026, the Year of the Horse, expect lanterns shaped like horses, dragons, goldfish, and other auspicious symbols. Lanterns will light up daily from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
AIA Winter Carnival
Every winter the Central Harbourfront Event Space hosts a two-month-long family-friendly carnival, complete with rides, games, performers, and huge plush toys to be won. This year’s edition promises to be as fun as ever.
Festillumi
Festilumi lands on the Wan Chai Harbourfront. Spread across nine themed worlds, drift from glowing igloos and penguins to illuminated maple forests, then find yourself face-to-face with neon dinosaurs. The Hong Kong edition is helmed by Normand Latourelle, co-founder of Cirque du Soleil, which explains the big visuals, theatrical pacing and occasional extras like pet-friendly nights or artificial snow falling at regular intervals.
Arts and Culture
Hong Kong Arts Festival 2026
From February 28 to March 29, the Hong Kong Arts Festival returns to the city. Alongside the headline performances, the festival also leans into access and context with its PLUS programme, which includes talks, masterclasses and a small line-up of guided tours and cultural experiences. These range from neighbourhood heritage walks and fishing village visits to backstage opera tours and even a one-day cultural trip to Macau, making it one of the few festivals where you can engage beyond the auditorium.
Ryuichi Sakamoto: seeing sound, hearing time
This free exhibition at the M+ Museum invites you to slow down and tune into the late Ryuichi Sakamoto’s world of sound, silence and space. Built around his 2017 album async, the show pairs instruments, books and studio objects with Sakamoto’s music. Two restrained light-and-sound works by Carsten Nicolai play out on the museum’s Grand Stair to tracks from Sakamoto’s final album, 12, while related films screening at M+ Cinema add context.
Sports
Hong Kong Race Week
Hong Kong hosts its annual premier youth sailing event, Hong Kong Race Week. This annual regatta invites young sailors from across the Asia-Pacific region to compete and develop their skills on the water. The event includes different types of sailboats (called “classes”), like the 29er, ILCA, and Optimist, catering to sailors of varying experience levels. Races will take place in picturesque locations such as Repulse Bay, Stanley, and Beaufort Island.
World Grand Prix
The World Grand Prix is back in Hong Kong, bringing elite, high-stakes snooker to Kai Tak Stadium. Part of the World Snooker Tour, the tournament features the season’s top thirty-two players battling it out in a fast-paced best-of-nine format. Expect big names like Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump, alongside a record-breaking contingent of Chinese stars.
Get our Hong Kong Cheapo hacks direct to your inbox
-
May Event Roundup – What’s On in Hong Kong
There are more places to go and things to do this May.
-
International Musicians Touring Hong Kong in 2026
Updated regularly with the latest info.
-
-
March Event Roundup – What’s On in Hong Kong
Flowers, arts festivals, and plenty of performances await.
-
How to Cross the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge by Bus or Car
The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge is the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge. Here's all you need to know about travelling by bus or car.
-
March is Arts Month: 5 Exhibitions and Festivals Not To Miss in 2026
It’s March and the weather is cool, but Hong Kong’s arts scene is just heating up.
-
Hong Kong to Macau - Bus, Boat, Ferry or Helicopter?
Get to Macau for as little as 65 HKD.
-
Chinese Lunar New Year Markets in Hong Kong
Lunar New Year reigns supreme in Hong Kong's calendar of holidays.
-
January Event Roundup – What's On in Hong Kong
All the events worth knowing about that happen in Hong Kong during January.
-
December Event Roundup – What's On in Hong Kong
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Hong Kong! Get ready for parties, events, and New Year's Eve fireworks
-
November Event Roundup – What's On in Hong Kong
Ah, November. Finally time to leave your aircon cave and remember what “outdoors” feels like.
-
October Event Roundup – What’s On in Hong Kong
How about an all-night Halloween street party, two rockin' music festivals or a fine arts event?
