By Harry Nara · Last updated
- Yu Lan, the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar monthMonday 16 August 2027
- Where
- Victoria Park and neighbourhood sites
- Tickets
- Free
- Time of year
- August
- Dates
- Move each year with the lunar calendar
The seventh lunar month, from the Hong Kong Observatory’s conversion table. Chiu Chow neighbourhood festivals run on different days through it and are announced locally. The Yu Lan Cultural Festival at Victoria Park was held on 4 to 6 September in 2026; its 2027 dates have not been announced.
For the seventh lunar month, Hong Kong feeds its ghosts. Families burn paper offerings at the roadside, and Chiu Chow communities build temporary bamboo halls with opera stages and towering paper figures on sports grounds across the city. It is one of the city’s most striking and least visited traditions, and it is free. Most of it is found by walking past, so watch for bamboo scaffolding and listen for gongs.
What Hungry Ghost Festival actually is
The belief is that the gates of the underworld open for a month, and spirits with no descendants to care for them wander the living world. Offerings of food, incense and paper money keep them fed and out of trouble. Many people avoid moving house, marrying or swimming at night during these weeks.
The form you see here is largely Chiu Chow, brought by migrants from eastern Guangdong. The Yu Lan Festival of the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Community went on China’s national intangible heritage list in 2011. Each neighbourhood association holds its own festival in turn, usually for about three days, with prayers, operas and gifts of rice for older residents.
The tall paper figures are part of it: the King of Ghosts keeps the spirits in order, and he goes up in flames at the end of the rite.
Where to watch Hungry Ghost Festival
- Neighbourhood sports grounds and playgrounds, for the real thing. Chiu Chow associations build bamboo halls on hard-surface pitches in older districts, on both sides of the harbour. There is no single published list for visitors, so ask at your hotel, or look for hoardings going up.
- Victoria Park, for the introduction. The Yu Lan Cultural Festival gathers the traditions in one place with displays, an offerings competition and a tournament, and it was expected to draw about 40,000 visitors last time.
- Any older street, in the evening. Families light small fires in metal bins or on the kerb, and leave fruit, rice and incense behind. Older neighbourhoods on both sides of the harbour are the likeliest places.
Tickets and what it costs
Nothing needs a ticket. At the last festival the Federation of Hong Kong Chiu Chow Community Organizations ran themed bus tours in Mandarin and English ahead of the Victoria Park event, and those are the easiest way in if you want an explanation.
Food and rice handed out at the neighbourhood festivals are meant for the community, so let residents go first.
Official information and booking: www.icho.hk/en/web/icho/representative_list_yulan.html
Getting there
Causeway Bay station is the closest to Victoria Park. For the neighbourhood festivals, walk from the nearest MTR station, as they are usually tucked between housing blocks.
The month falls in peak typhoon season, so a signal may stop an outdoor rite or an opera. Check the Observatory before setting out.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Stepping on or over offerings
Leave roadside food, paper and incense alone, and walk around the fires. Local people take care over this, and treading on them is considered rude as well as unlucky.
Sitting in the front row at the opera
At many bamboo theatres the first row is left empty for the ghosts. Take a seat further back, and ask someone if you are unsure.
Looking for one big parade
There is none. The festival is a scatter of small events over several weeks, so a visit means wandering rather than arriving at a time.
Photographing people at prayer
The halls are working religious spaces. Ask before pointing a camera at anyone, and keep a respectful distance from the altars.
Other Hong Kong events
Frequently asked questions
When is the Hungry Ghost Festival in Hong Kong?
It runs through the seventh lunar month, in August or early September, and peaks on the fifteenth day. The dates card above has this year’s. It is not a public holiday.
What do people do during the Hungry Ghost Festival?
They burn paper money and incense, and leave food at the roadside for wandering spirits. Chiu Chow communities also build bamboo halls for prayers, operas and gifts of rice.
Can tourists go to the Yu Lan festivals?
Yes. They are open and free, and visitors are welcome as long as they keep out of the way of the rites. The Yu Lan Cultural Festival at Victoria Park is the easiest introduction.
Where can I see bamboo theatre in Hong Kong?
During the month, on sports grounds in older neighbourhoods, where Chinese opera is staged for gods and ghosts alike. Watch for scaffolding, and ask locally, as the sites change each week.
Sources
- Intangible Cultural Heritage Office, Yu Lan Festival of the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Community
- The Standard, themed bus tours for the Yu Lan Festival
- Hong Kong Observatory, conversion table
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2027. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.