A giant eyeball currently hangs over the fountain in Statue Square, while the square’s pavilion has been turned into a haunted jail. Hong Kong celebrates Halloween 2026 for a month instead of one night.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board launched its first “Hong Kong Halloween Month” this month. The celebration staged cosplay street parties in five districts — Central, Kai Tak, Lan Kwai Fong, Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui — on three Saturdays starting Oct. 17, with the finale on the Oct. 31 Halloween night. People in costume have the chance for free rides to party trams and an open-top bus.
The board said it hoped the event would attract young people and families when it announced the plan in March. The city’s best-known nightlife district Lan Kwai Fong also expects the longer season to bring tougher business and competition.
Tin Lin Yeung, a manager at Orchard Bar, said customers started booking tables early because parade activities ran throughout the month. But he said that competition amongst bars are high, and owners will only reap the benefits if they work on their own planning and promotion.
The property developer Hongkong Land has turned Statue Square Gardens and Chater Road into a Halloween venue from Oct. 17 to Oct. 31, with support from the tourism board. Four installations are lit from 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. each night, and until 1 a.m. after Halloween night. Admission to the venue is free.
The square was named after statues of British royalty and it sits beside the Court of Final Appeal building. Now its colonial-era fountain and pavilion have become backdrops for selfies, not only to tourists but Halloween goers.
For mainland Chinese students Cai Lin Wang, 21, and Wen Ni Huang, 22, the contrasting design of the space was the main draw. “The decorations here are beautiful and much less congested than Lan Kwai Fong,” Wang said, adding that Hong Kong’s festive energy feels significantly richer than in the Mainland cities.
The monthlong format has also encouraged first-time participants to join in. An Gu Wong, who dressed up in cosplay with friends for the first time, said he usually avoids large holiday gatherings.”I don’t go to these events regularly, but coming out tonight with friends feels special,” Wong said. “I hope these big celebrations can really help stimulate our local economy.”
Early booking data suggests the extended campaign is working, though much of the economic windfall remains concentrated in major attractions. Travel platform Trip.com reported that Hong Kong Disneyland ticket bookings for Oct. 24 to Nov. 1 rose 29% year-over-year, while Ocean Park bookings jumped 44%. Local hotel bookings also recorded double-digit growth, bolstered by consecutive concerts such as the After Hours Til Dawn Tour concert of The Weeknd.
While theme parks and major hotel chains have captured the biggest gains, street-level businesses in Central are left fighting for their share. As Yeung noted, a monthlong festival opens the door for Halloween enjoyers but individual businesses still have to work hard to get customers through it as they still have to compete for customers.