National Day Fireworks Light Up Victoria Harbour for 23 Minutes, Drawing Over 378,000 Spectators
HONG KONG — Hong Kong marked the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1 with a National Day fireworks display over Victoria Harbour. According to the Hong Kong Government news service, the 23-minute show featured more than 30,000 pyrotechnic shells — 31,888 in the organiser's final count — launched from barges and floating pontoons in the harbour. Co-ordinated by the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau under the theme "Eternal Radiance Fireworks in Bloom, Illuminating our Country", the display was visible from waterfronts across the city.
The show unfolded in eight scenes. It opened with "Praise our Motherland", followed by segments including "You are the Sunshine of my Life", "Dreams in the Starry Galaxy" and "Love at Home", in which red hearts and yellow stars conveyed blessings to families, friends and the community. The finale, "Celebration to our Prosperous Nation", closed the evening. Synchronised music was broadcast on RTHK Radio 4 for spectators on both shores.
Crowd figures later released by the interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements put attendance at the October 1 fireworks at more than 378,000 residents and visitors along the harbour. The National Day Raceday at Sha Tin Racecourse the same day drew nearly 30,000 spectators, including about 9,300 tourists. Police implemented crowd management and special traffic arrangements at viewing hotspots in Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai, and the MTR ran extra services to disperse crowds after the show.
The day began with a flag-raising ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai and a National Day reception, at which Chief Executive John Lee noted it was the first National Day since the announcement of Hong Kong's first five-year plan, which he said provides a strategic roadmap for the city. October 1 was also the first day of the Mainland's National Day Golden Week (October 1–7); immigration figures later showed about 277,000 Mainland visitor arrivals that day, the single-day peak of the holiday week. Districts across the city ran celebratory events and merchant offers covering transport, theme parks, cinemas and dining.
Source: Compiled from the Hong Kong Government news service release of October 1, 2026, and figures subsequently published by the interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements.
Source: 香港政府新闻处及节庆安排跨部门工作小组其后
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 资料图：维多利亚港上空的烟花汇演（往年），Michael Elleray 摄，CC BY 2.0（Wikimedia Commons）
