With the return of the Year of the Dragon, aviation group Cathay has tied up with Hong Kong Tourism Board to mount Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade on February 10.

The “Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade”, is making a comeback in Tsim Sha Tsui on February 10, the first day of the Year of Dragon, to heat up Hong Kong’s Chinese New Year ambience and kick off a series of Chinese New Year celebrations. 

According to a press statement, the event is organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) with Cathay being the title sponsor for the 22nd year. The statement adds that with the theme of “World Party Great Celebration”, the parade showcases the city’s pulsating energy with glamourous floats and a big line-up of international and local performances, echoing the energy and motivation of the Dragon. This magnificent celebration with a global touch is a not-to-be-missed party for both the local public and visitors, adds the statement.

“Every year during Chinese New Year, Hong Kong is filled with intense festivities with a wide range of exciting extravaganzas, attracting visitors to come and feel the blessings of the festival in person. As a signature Chinese New Year celebration in Hong Kong, the Night Parade this year will recreate the classic float carnival with the largest number of international performing groups ever. We have brought together some of the world’s hottest performers to the party to spice up the celebration and transform this traditional festival into an international mega event. The HKTB parade will be the first event to kick off a series of Chinese New Year celebratory activities in town,’’ says Pang Yiu-kai, Chairman, HKTB.

“After the parade, we will continue to promote in global markets the waves of Chinese New Year events to come in various themes, including the Lunar New Year fireworks display and Chinese New Year Race Meeting 2024 on the second and third day of Chinese New Year, respectively. We will also work closely with our travel trade partners in various source markets to introduce tourism products with the Chinese New Year theme to enrich the visitor experience with activities, inviting them to enjoy the festival and immerse themselves in the city’s charm as an East-meets-West cosmopolitan city,” he adds.

 “As the home carrier, rooted in Hong Kong for 77 years, Cathay has been committed to developing Hong Kong as an international aviation hub and promoting the city as a vibrant and diverse global metropolis. We are delighted to be the title sponsor of the Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade for the 22nd year. We look forward to these highly anticipated Chinese New Year festivities to attract more visitors to our home city and join the people of Hong Kong in experiencing its colourful and diverse festival culture, celebrating Chinese New Year together,” says Ronald Lam, Chief Executive Officer, Cathay Group.

Largest-ever international turnout 

The statement adds that the parade will commence at 20:00 in Tsim Sha Tsui on the first day of the Year of the Dragon. This year’s parade  will feature nine floats, and 13 local and 16 international performing groups. Dragons will appear on most of the floats to portray the auspicious dragon hovering over Hong Kong, bringing fortune and joy to the city in the New Year. Together with other popular Chinese New Year elements, such as blooming flowers, felicitous couplets, lucky windmills and firecrackers, the colourfully adorned floats bring to the parade diverse interpretations of the New Year with various themes, adds the statement.

Cathay will lead the procession with its float, which showcases the convergence of tradition and progress, followed by floats presented by famous attractions, such as Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park Hong Kong, which embody the versatile charisma of Hong Kong. The audience can also spot other good fortune items on the floats, such as galloping horses on the Hong Kong Jockey Club float and spinning windmills that take the form of a dancing dragon on the HKTB float. Among the floats, popular cartoon characters loved by both adults and children will surprise the crowd, adds the statement.

A total of 16 international performing groups from 12 countries or regions will greet the public in this year’s parade, the most ever in Hong Kong’s Night Parade. It says visitors would be entertained by the diversity and uniqueness as the parade showcases globally famous and award-winning acts. For instance, the Japanese all-female pop dance group Avantgardey, who recently performed in the NHK New Year’s Eve music battle, will show off their best moves in the parade.

The statement adds that other performers include the Light Dancers, from Spain, and the Universe of Lights, from Germany, exciting groups who leverage lighting to create an entrancing atmosphere, the Guangxi Arts Troupe and the Tibet Chamdo Troupe, with performances that showcase the fascinating culture, professional cheerleaders from the US, and the Bacolod City MassKara Festival, from the Philippines, which has won several championships in the Bacolod Mask Festival Dance Competition.

The performers will jointly bring the best of carnival and international multi-cultural performances to the public and visitors, transforming the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui into a large-scale global party to further hype up the joyous ambience of this traditional festival.

 Local performers will also stage a fascinating show, with teams that have won international awards, ranging from marching bands and rhythmic gymnastics to Chinese dances and Bollywood performances. Don’t miss the world-class showcase of skills in professional rope skipping and rhythmic gymnastics by Hong Kong representatives. As a signature of the festival, one of the local performing groups will bring back the classic lion and dragon dances, showering the audience with this festive tradition.

The parade will start at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, proceed along Canton Road, Haiphong Road and Nathan Road, and finish outside the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers.

 Before the parade starts, 13 performing teams will warm up the crowd along the parade route from 18:00 with dance, magic tricks, music, freestyle football, and much more.

After the parade, the floats will be stationed at The Urban Council Centenary Garden, in Tsim Sha Tsui, for public exhibition from February 11-25. International teams will also perform there on  February 11 and 12.