Hong Kong FastFacts! Map of Hong Kong
Home HK Q&A Forum! Hotels Food Shopping Festivals Transport Sightseeing Links About Us Search Sitemap

 What's it like in   Hong Kong?
 Useful Tips
 Chinese Culture in Hong Kong
 Tour Evaluation
 With kids
 Pictures
 Panoramas
 Webcams
 Weather
 My Vacation
 Travel Books Review
 

 

Hong Kong Holidays/ Festivals 2018
2015 Calendar below for reference
The first day of January 1 Jan
Chinese New Year of the Goat 19 Feb
The second day of the Chinese Lunar New Year

Che Kung's Birthday

20 Feb
The third day of the Lunar New Year 21 Feb
Spring Lantern Festival / Yuen Siu 5 Mar
Chinese Groundhog Day 6 Mar
Ching Ming Festival 5 Apr
The day following Ching Ming Festival 6 Apr
Good Friday 3 Apr
The day following Good Friday 4 Apr
Easter Monday 6 Apr
Labour Day 1 May
Birthday of Tin Hau 11 May
Buddha’s Birthday and Cheung Chau Bun Festival

also Tam Kung's Birthday

25 May
Tuen Ng /  Dragon Boat Festival 20 Jun
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day 1 July
Kwan Tai / Kwan Gon's Birthday 8 Aug
Seventh Goddess' Day / Tsat-je 20 Aug
Chinese Ghosts Festival / Yue Lan 27 Aug
Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival / Moon Festival 27 Sep
Day after Mid-Autumn Festival

Monkey King Festival

28 Sep
Confucius' Birthday/Teacher's Day 9 Oct
Chinese National Day 1 Oct
Chung Yeung Festival  
Winter Solstice 22 Dec
Christmas Day 25 Dec
Boxing Day 26 Dec

 

Hong Kong Festivals 2016
Hong Kong Festivals 2017

   

 

 

 

Buddha’s Birthday

Until recently this wasn't a public holiday in Hong Kong, it was only an event observed by people who was particularly a devout Buddhist, which is not the case for most people in Hong Kong.

 

Exactly when The Lord Buddha was born -- and born with the name Sidharta Gautama -- can hardly be exactly known so I'm not sure how the day of May 26th (8th April in lunar calendar) was decided, but there you go now it is a public holiday in Hong Kong.  It is not the same day each year so check back here if you want to know the date in a year other than 2004.

There are plenty of Buddhist temples in Hong Kong and of course there will be special ceremonies at such places on this day.

Probably the best place to visit is the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau , which is known for the giant statue, the world's largest seated, outdoor bronze Buddha (there are larger reclining Buddha statues).  Anyway around here it is just called The Big Buddha.

To get there you'll need to take a ferry to Lantau from the Central Ferry Piers -- then there will be a bus ride to the monastery.

Other places to catch special ceremonies would be the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin, and yes they really do have more than ten thousand Buddha statues though most are very small.  And also at the Miu Fat Monastery in Tuen Mun in the New Territories.

The most important event on this day which is not a Buddhist festival but actually a Taoist festival is the Cheung Chau Bun Festival

Back Home Up Next

Write Your Own Hotel Review -- Earn US$25

Advertising Rate Card

 
Send Feedback or Questions Hong Kong Forum HK Forum Hongkong Forum HongKong   Other travel sites: CunningCanary  DFWandMe   ClearlyOK    Hong Kong Ladies Market   ApLiu Street Flea Market