Christmas in Hong Kong

Most Hong Kong Christmas traditions are borrowed from the west, like decorating the Christmas tree, sending cards with wishes, and shopping in Christmas markets. Still, Hongkongers always introduce a contemporary twist on old customs.

Christmas in Hong Kong is in no way a solemn, quiet holiday. It’s a vibrant, lively celebration, perhaps a bit commercialized, but impressive, nonetheless.

If you visit Hong Kong in December, check out the local Disneyland, Ocean Park, restaurants, shopping malls, and the annual Winterfest.

Christmas Food in Hong Kong

Hong Kong region is famous for its diverse street food and luxurious restaurants, so it’s no wonder the Hong Kong Christmas menu is abundant. Most Hong Kong Christmas food is typically Asian, but some dishes are inspired by western culture.

Unlike Europeans and Americans who spend Christmas at home, Hing Kong locals rarely cook Christmas food themselves and prefer to go out with family and friends.

There’s no one traditional Christmas dish in Hong Kong – everyone can eat what they please. Sweet and sour pork with sesame seeds is perhaps, the most famous Hong Kong food eaten year-round, including in wintertime.

Wonton noodles is another traditional dish – a soup with chicken or duck dumplings, noodles, and various add-ons. Roast goose is a famous Chinese specialty, typically served with plum sauce.

Dumplings with duck or pork, steamed shrimp balls, and fish dishes are also commonly served for Christmas and other holidays.

However, tourists who can’t imagine their Christmas without roast turkey and glazed ham will have no problem finding them in Hong Kong restaurant menus.

Hongkongers have a wide selection of Christmas desserts because there’s no one traditional “Christmas fruitcake” like Christmas pudding in the U.S. or “Christmas cookie” like gingerbread in Europe.

One of the most popular desserts is babaofan, sweet and sticky rice pudding with fruit and nut toppings – it’s both delicious and healthy. Sesame seed balls from rice flour with red bean paste filling are a must-try for any tourist.

Nain Gao is typically served for Chinese New Year, but many people also eat it for Christmas. It’s a sticky rice cake that’s either steamed or fried and can have any flavor, including caramel, toffee, vanilla, almond, and plum.

Chinese almond cookies are believed to bring good fortune. Regardless of whether cookies can improve one’s life, these crumbly, crispy rounds topped with whole almonds are mouth-watering.

When it comes to Christmas drinks, Hongkongers prefer either classic western recipes like mulled wine and eggnog or popular local drinks like Sinkiang black beer, Gunner cocktail with a mix of ginger ale and Angostura bitters, or Sanhuajiu, an alcoholic rice beverage.

Christmas Decorations in Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s Christmas decorations are arguably the most creative, impressive, and festive in Asia. When December approaches, shopping malls, museums, and other public places enter the unspoken competition for the best Christmas display.

Decorations in Hong Kong are in no way humble, embracing the festive spirit of locals and tourists. Even people who don’t celebrate Christmas inevitably get in the holiday mood.

Festive displays in Hong Kong shopping malls and streets don’t always feature traditional Christmas symbols and characters like Santa, angels, gifts, and Christmas trees.

Often, they present things distantly related to Christmas, like fairytale characters, giant toys, trains, and animals.

Hongkongers love creative solutions, such as using holograms instead of actual scenes or making festive displays interactive.

If you walk in Hong Kong at nighttime, you’ll be captivated by the stunning views of skyscrapers lit up with Christmas wishes and pictures.

The tallest Christmas tree in Hong Kong is typically lit at the West Kowloon Art Park, measuring 20 meters and featuring dozens of thousands of fairy lights.

Locals also decorate Christmas trees at home. Any American or European would be jealous of the selection of festive ornaments in Hong Kong because China is the largest manufacturer of Christmas decorations globally.

Overall, Christmas decorations in Hong Kong aren’t much different from those in the U.S., but their size, vibrancy, and creativeness undoubtedly deserve attention.

Noah’s Ark

Noah’s Ark Park, a replica of the Old Testament Noah’s Ark, is a famous landmark in Hong Kong especially popular at Christmas. The park introduces visitors to the concept of a creationist narrative, wildlife, and art.

Apart from the usual exhibits, including 67 pairs of life-sized exotic animals and birds, at Christmas, people can witness a fluorescent laser show and participate in Santa workshops.

In Noah’s Ark, kids can craft custom Christmas teddy bears, visit an interactive multi-sensory winter nature exhibition, compete in a ride on motorized plush animals, and eat in a splendid festive buffet.

Hong Kong Winterfest

Hong Kong Winterfest is the heart of Christmas celebrations, held on Statue Square every year.

Winterfest attendees can witness a giant Christmas tree towering above the square, visit Santa’s grotto, listen to the choir singing Christmas carols, and enjoy a fantastic firework show.

Winterfest runs throughout the entire December and ends after New Year’s. The best thing is that admission is free, so everyone gets a chance to feel the magical Christmas spirit.

Christmas Cards

Although not many Hongkongers celebrate Christmas, those who do consider their duty to exchange holiday cards with family, friends, and colleagues.

Some locals make Christmas cards themselves in seasonal workshops, while others buy them at the numerous stationery stores and Christmas markets.

Theme Park & Museum Displays

Any child living in Hong Kong would tell you that the best place to spend the Christmas holidays is Disneyland, and many adults would likely agree.

Hong Kong Disneyland attracts millions of visitors year-round, but at Christmas time, it turns into a real-life winter wonderland.

Kids and their parents can watch “Santa Goofy’s Magical Snowfall” play with favorite characters, including Goofy, Mickey, Daisy, Donald, and Chip ‘n’ Dale, listen to classic Christmas songs, and witness the festive processional of Duffy and Friends.

During the “Holiday Wish-Come-True” Tree Lighting Ceremony, park visitors can see the tree in the park’s center illuminate in a myriad of colorful lights. The ceremony is led by Mickey Mouse and his friends, accompanied by live music.

Of course, there’s also plenty of Christmas merchandise with Disney characters, such as T-shirts, Advent calendars, toys, and cards.

Although Disneyland steals the show at Christmas, Hong Kong’s Ocean Park is also worth attention.

Like always, park visitors can witness sea life in the oceanarium and experience an adrenaline rush on crazy rides, but at Christmas time, the park also offers seasonal entertainment.

The Christmas Alley sets a festive mood with charming wooden stalls, illuminated snowflakes, inciting aromas, and illusionist shows. In the center of the park traditionally stands a giant Christmas tree.

Christmas Shopping

Shopping is the favorite Christmas activity of Hongkongers. Sure, Americans also love to shop for gifts for family and friends, but it’s an entirely different experience in China, focused merely on the process rather than on the shopping result.

Walking among beautiful Christmas displays and listening to popular holiday tracks is already fun enough, but Hong Kong is also a real shopping paradise – name a store, and you’ll find it in local malls.

Aside from regular shopping malls, Hong Kong also has many Christmas markets for a more atmospheric, cozy experience familiar to westerners.

Christmas markets in Hong Kong don’t typically run throughout the entire December like in Europe but only for several days around Christmas.

Still, they have everything that makes a perfect Christmas market – a wide selection of arts and crafts, gifts for any preference, traditional treats, warming drinks, activities for the entire family, and holiday cheer in the air.

Christmas Village Pop-up at K11 MUSEA takes a modern twist on traditional Christmas markets, presenting contemporary fairy light displays, a brilliant archway, and an array of craft beer. It’s held indoors, so there’s no need to wear a winter jacket.

Island Shangri-La Christmas Market takes a more old-fashioned approach, with wooden stalls set up on the city square under a Christmas tree. Visitors can enjoy mulled wine and hot chocolate and meet with Santa in his workshop.

Some Hong Kong Christmas markets are much more than a place to shop for gifts and enjoy festive foods. They are proper fun fairs that never fail to astonish locals and tourists.

For example, the Winter Wonderland fair in Chek Lap Kok gives visitors an opportunity to experience freezing temperatures in the ice room, make Christmas gifts themselves in Santa’s workshop, and experience immersive light bathing in The House of Light.

Gift Exchange

Like most Christians, Hongkongers consider gift exchange a vital element of Christmas celebrations. People typically get gifts for their family and closest friends.

Hong Kong Santa Claus is no different from American Santa – he is a jolly old man with plump rosy cheeks and a long white beard. Local kids always look forward to finding a gift under the Christmas tree or in a stocking.