HKTB “Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade” Kicks Off Year of the Horse Celebrations Inviting Visitors to Experience “Everywhere A Wish” Across a Citywide Festive Line-up

Chinese New Year is traditionally Hong Kong’s grand festival, featuring a series of vibrant and diverse activities, including Chinese New Year flower markets, prayers at Wong Tai Sin Temple and Che Kung Temple, the night parade, Victoria Harbour fireworks and the Year of the Horse Raceday. This year, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has adopted “Everywhere A Wish” as the theme, inviting visitors from around the world to come to the city to experience the joy and start a blessed new year.

Leading the series of highlight festive programmes is the “Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade”, organised by HKTB, which will kick off the Year of the Horse celebrations. This year’s parade is themed “Best Fortune．World Party”. On the evening of the first day of Chinese New Year (17 February), a total of 60 floats and performing groups will present a spectacular global party in Tsim Sha Tsui, interacting with large crowds of locals and visitors along the route to spread lively blessings.

Dr Peter Lam, Chairman of HKTB, said: “I am grateful for the support of various sponsors from different sectors, especially that of Cathay, our title-sponsor for 24 consecutive years. Their support has contributed to new, exciting elements in this year’s International Chinese New Year Night Parade, allowing the event to continue its legacy as a highlight of Hong Kong’s Chinese New Year experience. We will seize the opportunity of the Chinese New Year holidays to promote Hong Kong’s diverse and vibrant festive experiences all around the city under the theme ‘Everywhere a Wish’. We also will step up promotions in various visitor source markets with our trade partners to attract more visitors to enjoy the rich festivities in Hong Kong during this festive season.”

Ms Lavinia Lau, Cathay Chief Customer & Commercial Officer, said: “As Hong Kong’s home carrier for 80 years, Cathay has grown with the city through countless shared journeys, with a deep commitment to developing Hong Kong as an international aviation hub and promoting it as an East-meets West Centre for International Cultural Exchange. We are proud to support a wide range of international mega events that bring vibrancy to the local economy, and we are especially delighted to be the title sponsor of the Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade for the 24th consecutive year. Through this world-renowned festive spectacle, we hope that people can gather with their loved ones in joy and good fortune as we welcome the Year of the Horse with blessings from Cathay.”

New Float Line-up with More Surprises

This year’s parade features 12 floats from 11 participating units. These include long-term partners such as Cathay, the title-sponsor for the 24th consecutive year, which will celebrate its 80th anniversary by showcasing a classic aircraft soaring through a time tunnel; having participated in the parade for 27 consecutive years, The Hong Kong Jockey Club takes on an especially meaningful role in the Year of the Horse as the Exclusive Parade Route Sponsor. The float will feature three magnificent horses, symbolising the vitality, prosperity and forward looking spirit traditionally associated with the Year of the Horse; Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary with various Disney friends and dancers in a festive street party; and Ocean Park Hong Kong’s Panda Friends, which will don new festive attire to wish locals and visitors a Happy New Year alongside Whiskers & Friends. 

Making their debut in the parade are McDonald’s Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Brand Toy Association and Lam Tsuen Wishing Square. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, McDonald’s Hong Kong will showcase a classic train float inspired by the brand’s iconic 1980s restaurant design installation. The Hong Kong Brand Toy Association float will bring together local trendy IPs, such as popular characters LABUBU and Molly, presenting Hong Kong’s creative culture; and the Lam Tsuen Wishing Square float will transform into a mobile “Glowing Wishing Tree”, recreating Hong Kong’s unique village praying culture and festive customs.

In addition, The Asia Tourism Exchange Center and the Macao Government Tourism Office will respectively present a “Lucky Horse” to extend sincere wishes for national prosperity and a themed float “Experience Macao” to showcase the fellow SAR’s charm. And the Quality Tourism Services Association will feature various Quality Tourism Services accredited merchants, demonstrating the vibrant growth of Hong Kong’s retail and catering industries.

To mark the Year of the Horse, the HKTB float is themed “World City．World Party” and will surprise the crowd with a pair of matching floats. The main float will feature various pony mascots dressed in different thematic mega events outfits, while the matching float will bring a replica of the Main Stadium of Kai Tak Sports Park to Tsim Sha Tsui, showcasing Hong Kong’s edge as the “Mega Events Capital”.

East-meets-West Cultural Extravaganza: Local and International Performing Teams Converge in Hong Kong

This year, 16 performing teams from various countries and regions will participate in the parade, including the Chinese Mainland, Italy, France, Spain, the US, Canada, Australia, Turkey, the Philippines, India and Egypt. Among the teams, 13 will perform in Hong Kong for the first time, forming a stellar line-up.

Performance highlights include the following: The Fumi Youth Yingge Dance Troupe of Puning City, which appeared at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, performing together with 6-year-old Yingge girl prodigy Zhuang Enqi from the Chinese Mainland to showcase the national intangible cultural heritage “Chinese War Dance”; France’s FierS à Cheval, presenting a giant luminous horse performance in a crossover with the local Jean M. Wong School of Ballet; and Italy’s Cromosauro, featuring a giant 2 dinosaur over 5 metres tall and 7 metres long, along with China’s luminous dragon in a collaboration with the local Hong Kong Chinese Martial Arts Dragon and Lion Dance Association of Hong Kong, China, to stage a “Double Dragon Dance”. The Bluecoats from the US will perform a jointly with local marching band The Pegasus Vanguard; the Egyptian Tannoura Dance Group will interpret traditional Sufi folk whirling skirts; and Canadian comedic acrobatic duo Les Vitaminés will bring surprises to the audience with humour and highly difficult skills.

The 15 local performing teams are equally exciting, featuring multiple champion-quality groups. These include dance group Rookids, featuring an 11-year-old member who won the U18 World Street Dance 2025 Championship with his superb dance skills; the GnB Dance Group, champions of World of Dance Hong Kong 2025; and the China Hong Kong Para Dance Sport Association, who won three gold and three silver medals at the National Games for Persons with Disabilities, bringing a performance fusing martial arts with wheelchair dance elements to demonstrate diversity and inclusion.

Pre-parade Performances at 6pm to Warm Up the 8pm Show

The parade procession will depart from the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza at 8pm, passing along Canton Road, Haiphong Road and Nathan Road, and finally arriving at the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers. Before the parade, 15 local performing groups will take turns to perform from about 6pm, with lion and dragon dances, fancy rope skipping, street dance and magic, to warm up the crowd.

Spectator Stand Tickets open for Sale from 7 February

Seated spectator stands are available for the “Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade” at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Tickets are priced at HK$600, $550 and $450 and will be available for purchase at the HKTB Kowloon Visitor Centre (Address: Star Ferry Pier, Tsim Sha Tsui) from 8am on 7 February 2026 (Saturday). All tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Members of the public can also enjoy the parade for free along Canton Road, Haiphong Road and Nathan Road.

Extending the Parade Excitement: Floats on Display at Kai Tak for the First Time from the Second Day of CNY

From the second day of Chinese New Year (18 February) to the 15th day (3 March), the floats will appear at various locations across the city to continue the excitement of the parade. For the first time, eight distinctive floats will be displayed at Kai Tak Sports Park (until 26 February). On the second and third days of Chinese New Year (18 and 19 February), Chinese Mainland and international performing teams participating in the parade will perform live in the two time-limited stages at the venue, bringing the festive atmosphere to the audience. The remaining four floats will be displayed at Ocean Park, Lam Tsuen in Tai Po, Sha Tin Racecourse and Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. Performing teams will also visit shopping malls and attractions across the city.

Moreover, starting on 30 January, the “Kai Tak Sports Park Chinese New Year Celebration” will present a series of exciting activities, including shopping rewards, large-scale Chinese New Year Fairs and the Float Display. Shoppers can enjoy fabulous shopping rewards and exclusive red packet redemption at Kai Tak Mall. From 10 to 16 February, the Chinese New Year Fair will extend from Kai Tak Mall to outdoor venues, with Dining Cove hosting the first outdoor Chinese New Year Fair to celebrate the new year with everyone.

HKTB has now launched a one-stop Chinese New Year webpage on its official website, with a city wide collection of Chinese New Year activities and information on attractions and transportation to help visitors plan their itinerary in advance and to experience Hong Kong’s festive culture.

HKTB Chinese New Year Webpage: https://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/what-snew/events/chinese-new-year.html

Strengthening Promotion in Chinese Mainland and Overseas Markets; New Round of Publicity in Partnership with KOLs

HKTB will launch a new round of Chinese New Year promotions in the Chinese Mainland and various overseas markets. In the Chinese Mainland market, building on ongoing collaboration with Douyin, HKTB invited popular Douyin KOL “Chicken Chop Guy”, who has over a million followers, to produce and share promotional videos about Hong Kong on his channel. Through his down-to-earth and humorous style, he introduces authentic delicacies and recommends Chinese New Year experiences to his fans. HKTB also partners with Meituan to launch a festival-themed restaurant recommendation campaign, offering special deals bundling hotel accommodation and local dining packages on the platform to attract Chinese Mainland visitors.

For overseas markets, HKTB will collaborate with food KOLs and television broadcasters in markets such as the UK and France to create content themed around Hong Kong’s Chinese New Year to appeal to visitors from abroad.

HKTB is also joining hands with travel trade partners in various regions to launch Chinese New Year themed tourism package products, driving more visitors to Hong Kong during the festive period, encouraging them to extend their stay and stimulate spending.

Photo Caption

HKTB holds the “2026 Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade” Press Conference today. Dr Peter Lam, HKTB Chairman (ninth from left, second row) and Ms Lavinia Lau, Chief Customer & Commercial Officer of Cathay (eighth from right, second row) attend with representatives of sponsors and supporting organisations. These include the following:

(From left, second row) Representatives from float sponsors: Mr Hamson Wai, General Manager of At Once Communication Limited of Asia Tourism Exchange Centre, Mr Wong Kim Fung, Chairman of Hong Kong Brand Toy Association, Ms Christie Evangelisto, Creative Director, Entertainment of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and Mr Andrew Yeung, General Manager, Event & Product Development of HKTB. Route sponsor representative Ms. Judy Sun, General Manager, External Affairs of The Hong Kong Jockey Club (seventh from left, second row), Mr Anthony Lau, Executive Director of the HKTB (eighth from left, second row). The event is proudly supported by McDonald’s Hong Kong, with representative Ms Tina Chao, Chief Marketing and Digital Customer Experience Officer (seventh from right, second row). Other representatives include Ms JoJo Chan, Chairman of Quality Tourism Services Association, Mr Franklin Law, Marketing Director of Ocean Park Corporation, Ms Kelly Cheung, Senior Marketing Manager of Macao Government Tourism Office and Mr Gilvig Cheng, Chairman of Lam Tsuen Wishing Square Development Limited.

(Third row, from left to right) Representatives from in-kind sponsors: Ms Evelyn Yan, Director of Yan Chim Kee Hong Kong Co Ltd, Mr Vincent Yip, CEO of Koon Wah Food & Preserved Fruit Factory Limited, Ms Cheng Suk Ping, Associate Director of Kee Wah Bakery Limited, Mr Galan Wong, Sales & Brand Manager of Icelandic Glacial and Ms Vivian Chou, Assistant General Manager, Group Marketing and PR Division of Hung Fook Tong Group Holdings Limited. Travel Trade Representative Mr Alex Wu, Chairman of Hong Kong Hotels Association. Representatives from Chinese Mainland and International Performing Group Sponsors: Mr Terence Chan, Portfolio Leasing (2) Department General Manager of MCP Central & MCP Discovery and Mr Stanley Wong, Head of Cable Car Operations of Ngong Ping 360. Float Display Venue Support representative Mr John Sharkey, CEO of Kai Tak Sports Park Limited. Official Hotel Sponsor representative Mr Simon Manning, Managing Director of Nina Hospitality and Tour Operator representative Ms Margaret Wan, Hong Kong Operations Manager of Lion Travel.

(Forth row, from left to right) Representatives from local performance groups: Mystery Belly Dance Academy, The Pegasus Vanguard, Avon Lee International Magic, BLS Dance Production, New Baby Junior Dance Crew, SDM Jazz and Ballet Academie, China Hong Kong Para Dance Sport Association and Chinese Martial Arts Dragon and Lion Dance Association of Hong Kong, China. Representatives from Travel Trade Associations including: Ms Anna Hong, Director & General Manager of Shun Tak-China Travel Ship Management Limited, Ms May Lee, Head of Marketing of SOGO Hong Kong Company Limited, Mr Waylon Wu, Assistance General Manager (Leasing Marketing & Promotions) of Sino Group and Ms Jobbie Cheung, Senior Manager, Operations of K11 Concepts Limited.

Dr Peter Lam, HKTB Chairman and Ms Lavinia Lau, Cathay Chief Customer & Commercial Officer pose for photo.