For New Year's Eve 2026, Hong Kong authorities have canceled the traditional fireworks display over Victoria Harbour, a defining element of the year-end celebrations.
The decision was made after a massive fire broke out in November in a residential complex Wang Fuk Court, in the Tai Po district, the worst fire in Hong Kong in decades and resulting in at least 161 deaths.
The tragedy had a profound impact on the city's atmosphere, and the cancellation of the fireworks was seen as a gesture of respect for the victims and the community.
Hong Kong is, by definition, a city of controlled excess: dense, bright, fast, always on the move. That's why New Year's Eve comes with an almost automatic expectation of spectacular fireworks over Victoria Harbour, explosions of color between skyscrapers and a sky that becomes, for a few minutes, a global screen. That was the image in our minds for New Year's Eve.
But on the night that marks the transition from 2025 to 2026, the city chose a different path. There were no classic fireworks. The sky remained dark, and the show moved into the city at street level, on the facades of buildings, in the crowd that filled the boulevards and promenades.
The absence of fireworks did not create frustration, did not empty public spaces, and did not change the dynamics of the evening.
An impressive crowd, but surprisingly well managed
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets. Compact flows occupied the central areas, the waterfront promenade, key intersections. The image is one that, in many cities around the world, would be tantamount to chaos. Everything was controlled by thousands of police officers who closed and opened pedestrian areas.
The crowd moved slowly, coherently, without visible pushing, without conflicts, without that nervous tension that occurs when organization is lacking.
For a journalist coming from Southeastern Europe, this detail is not anecdotal. It is a clear indicator of urban culture. People accepted the implicit rules of the space: they waited, made room, followed the indicated routes. Not because someone shouted orders, but because the system was predictable and respected by everyone.
In the absence of fireworks, Hong Kong relied on light, projections and visual messages integrated into the urban landscape. The facades of buildings became communication media, and the city spoke through colors, shapes and simple texts. The new year appeared on skyscrapers.
Funkytravel.ro as a whole on New Year's Eve
2026 caught us on the streets, in a blurry picture, but as a whole. With two cold beers in a metropolis that this year gave up on the traditional fireworks. With an indescribable crowd, but controlled by thousands of kind police. We are grateful for what we have experienced so far and for what is to come.
PS: I'm leaving this picture here so Arina can remember where she spent New Year's Eve in 2026
Until I tell you about tips for visiting the metropolis of Hong Kong, I'll leave you with details about Macau.
On the other hand, it's hard to concentrate when you're having an experience like the one in the reel below.
