Police expect about 260,000 people to watch the National Day fireworks from both sides of Victoria Harbour on Thursday, 1 October 2026. The display starts at 8pm, but road closures will begin at 4pm around Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai and at 5pm in West Kowloon.
The 23-minute show will feature 31,888 fireworks fired from nine launch points by three barges and six smaller floating vessels. The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau is coordinating the event.
Closures will widen through the evening. In West Kowloon, restrictions expand around the Star Ferry bus terminus and the West Kowloon Cultural District from about 5.30pm to 6pm, with further roads closed from 7.45pm. On Hong Kong Island, parts of the Central waterfront, Wan Chai and the Eastern District begin closing from 6.30pm, followed by additional restrictions later in the evening.
Police advise visitors to use public transport, with large crowds expected around the Cultural Centre, the Avenue of Stars, the East Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, the West Kowloon Cultural District and the Hung Hom waterfront. New Hung Hom Harbourfront will not open that night. A temporary bus stop outside Exit J of the high-speed rail station will operate from 7.30pm.
Drivers should avoid stopping where they could obstruct traffic: illegally parked vehicles or those causing an obstruction may be towed immediately without prior warning. The Star Ferry pier, China Hong Kong City and Mody Road Bus Terminus will also be closed.
The fireworks vessels are expected to reach the waters off the Wan Chai Convention and Exhibition Centre at about 2pm, when the Marine Department will establish an exclusion zone until about 10pm. A restricted zone in the central harbour takes effect at 7pm; only approved ferries may continue operating there until 7.40pm, while other vessels will be barred from entering. The restricted zone is expected to be lifted 30 to 45 minutes after the fireworks end, and ferry services will be affected during the restrictions.