Month By Month
Top Events
Chinese New Year, January/February
Birthday of Tin Hau, April/May
Cheung Chau Bun Festival, April/May
International Dragon Boat Races, May/June
Hungry Ghost Festival, August
February
The marquee of clammy clouds may seal up the city in perfect hibernation mode, but nothing can dampen the spirits around Chinese New Year, the most important festival on the cultural calendar.
zChinese New Year
Vast flower markets herald the beginning of this best-loved Chinese festival. Wear red and be blessed at Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple. Then find a spot by Victoria Harbour (or failing that, a TV) and be awed by fireworks.
zSpring Lantern Festival
Lovers are the focus this month as colourful lanterns glowing under the first full moon of the lunar year mark the end of New Year celebrations, and a day known as Chinese Valentine's Day.
zHong Kong Arts Festival
Lasting five to eight weeks, Hong Kong’s premier cultural event scintillates with a feast of music and performing arts, ranging from classical to contemporary, by hundreds of local and international talents.
2Hong Kong Marathon
In 2016, 61,000 athletes competed in this top Asian marathon (www.hkmarathon.com). The annual event also includes a half-marathon, a 10km race and a wheelchair race.
March
Rain and warm weather return, triggering the whirr of dehumidifiers in every home and office – as flowers and umbrellas bloom across the city.
'Beat the Little Man'
Witness folk sorcery performed by rent-a-curse grannies under the Canal Rd Flyover in Wan Chai or at Yau Ma Tei’s Tin Hau Temple. Rapping curses, they pound cut-outs of clients' enemies with a shoe.
zHong Kong International Film Festival
One of Asia's top film festivals, the four-decade-old, two-week-long HKIFF screens the latest art-house and award-winning movies from Asia and around the world.
1Hong Kong Flower Show
For approximately 10 days, Victoria Park turns into a colourful sea of fragrant floral displays as horticulturalists from over 20 countries experiment with their green fingers.
3Hong Kong Sevens
Hong Kong’s most famous sporting event – and probably its most original – this eternally popular tournament promises fierce competition, as well as a reliable glut of carnivalesque partying from the fans (www.hksevens.com.hk).
zArt Basel
Hong Kong becomes the epicentre of the international art world for three days as the world's top art fair (香港巴塞爾藝術展
GOOGLE MAP
; www.artbasel.com/hong-kong; HK$180-850; 
hMar) takes the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre by storm.
May
The city steams up, especially in the urban areas, as the long summer months begin. The first heavy showers of the year cleanse the air as religious celebrations heat up the mood.
zBirthday of Tin Hau
A festival dedicated to the patroness of fisherfolk and one of the harbour city’s most popular deities. Key celebrations include a colourful float parade in Yuen Long and traditional rites at the ‘Big Temple’ in Joss House Bay.
zCheung Chau Bun Festival
This unique, week-long festival on Cheung Chau climaxes on Buddha’s birthday when children ‘float’ through the island’s narrow lanes dressed up as mythological characters and modern-day politicians, while the more daring townsfolk scramble up bun-studded towers at midnight.
zBuddha's Birthday
Devotees stream to Buddhist monasteries and temples all over the territory on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month to pray to the revered founder of Buddhism and bathe his likenesses with scented water.
zLe French May
Misleadingly named, this celebration of all things Gallic (www.frenchmay.com; hApr-Jun) often starts in April and ends in June – so much the better, as it returns with a rich arts program of consistently high quality, plus the obligatory fine food and wine.
June
The heavens are truly open, the mercury spikes and strong air-conditioning switches on citywide to soothe the nerves of locals and visitors alike.
3Dragon Boat Festival
Thousands of the world's strongest dragonboaters meet in Hong Kong over three days of intense racing and partying at Victoria Harbour (香港國際龍舟邀請賽 www.hkdba.com.hk; hMay or Jun), while smaller but equally heart-stopping races happen in waterways all over the city.
August
Seven million souls palpitate and perspire in the sweltering heat. Torrential downpours are common but there is always a sun-toasted beach near you in this sprawling archipelago of 260-plus islands.
zHungry Ghost Festival
Restless spirits take leave from hell to roam the earth during the seventh moon. Hell money, food and earthly luxuries made of papier mâché are burned to propitiate the visitors. Fascinating folk traditions come alive across the city.
September
Good old summer lingers but the humidity factor starts to recede. Continue to hug the ocean coastlines for free respite as school kids swap their buckets and spades for mighty dunes of homework.
zMid-Autumn Festival
Pick up a lantern and participate in a moonlit picnic on the 15th night of the eighth lunar month. This family occasion commemorates a 14th-century anti-Mongol uprising with much cheerful munching of the once-subversive ‘mooncakes’.
November
At long last Hong Kong mellows. Temperatures sensibly cool down to around 22°C (72°F) and rainfall ceases significantly, much to the delight of ramblers and other countryside merrymakers.
2Oxfam Trailwalker
What began as a fundraising exercise drill by local Ghurkha soldiers in 1981 is today a celebrated endurance test that challenges hikers in teams of four to complete the 100km MacLehose Trail in 48 hours (www.oxfamtrailwalker.org.hk).
zHong Kong International Literary Festival
Held over 10 days in autumn, the festival (www.festival.org.hk; hNov) features established and emerging writers from around the world. Past authors have included luminaries Seamus Heaney and Louis de Bernières.
Clockenflap Outdoor Music Festival
Hong Kong's largest outdoor music festival incorporates international, regional and local live music of a mostly indie variety, as well as art installations and pop-ups. Acts that have played the festival include New Order, The Libertines, A$AP and Primal Scream.
December
Arguably the best time of the year to visit the city. Sunny days and clear blue skies reign. The delightful weather is perfect for all outdoor activities, though brace for the Christmas shopping crowds.
zHong Kong Winterfest
Rejoice as neon Yuletide murals appear on the Tsim Sha Tsui harbourfront. Ferry across to Statue Sq to see illuminated Christmas trees and fake snow. Join teenage revellers around Times Sq to ring in Christmas day.
3Hong Kong International Races
Billed as the Turf World Championships, master horsemen and equine stars from across the planet descend on the beautifully set Sha Tin Racecourse (http://racing.hkjc.com) to do battle. Expect fanatical betting from the 60,000-plus who pack the stands.