Fireworks are typically a centerpiece of Hong Kong's New Year celebrations. Not this year. The territory rang in 2026 without spectacular and colorful explosions in the sky over its iconic Victoria Harbour after a massive fire in November that killed at least 161 people. The city's tourism board instead hosted a music show Wednesday night featuring soft rock duo Air Supply and other singers in Central, a business district that is also home to the famous nightlife hub Lan Kwai Fong, the AP reports. The facades of eight landmarks turned into giant countdown clocks presenting a three-minute light show at midnight.
Fireworks have long been part of the city's celebrations for the New Year, Lunar New Year, and National Day. The pyrotechnic displays against Hong Kong's world-famous skyline of skyscrapers typically draw hundreds of thousands of people, including many tourists, to both sides of the harbor. Rosanna Law, the territory's secretary for culture, sports, and tourism, acknowledged Tuesday that having no fireworks would affect some hotel and restaurant businesses.
- Annie Wang, a tourist from Shanghai, said that although she had planned to watch the fireworks show, she understood the city's decision because she found news of the blaze heart-wrenching. "It's quite regretful. But there's no way around it after the fire," said Wang, a university student.
- The financial hub's worst blaze since 1948 broke out at Wang Fuk Court, in the northern suburban district of Tai Po, in late November. The apartment complex was undergoing a monthslong renovation project with buildings covered by bamboo scaffolding and green netting. Authorities have pointed to the substandard netting and foam boards installed on windows as contributing factors in the fire's rapid spread. In the aftermath, authorities stifled dissent.
- Past tragedies in Hong Kong have forced similar cancellations of fireworks. They include the 2013 National Day festivities following a vessel collision that killed 39 people on Oct. 1, 2012, and the 2018 Lunar New Year celebration after a bus crash that left 19 dead. During the 2019 pro-democracy protests and the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple displays also were scrapped. Another disaster happened on New Year's Eve: As the territory marked the beginning of 1993, 21 people died and dozens more were injured in a crowd crush in Lan Kwai Fong that began during the countdown to midnight, the South China Morning Post reports.
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