From centuries-old traditions and world-class sporting events to culinary extravaganzas and Halloween thrills, Hong Kong comes alive this autumn

HONG KONG, Aug. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This Autumn, Hong Kong welcomes one of its most exciting times of year with a packed calendar of festivals, sporting events and immersive citywide celebrations. From ancient traditions and cultural spectacles to world-class gastronomy and outdoor adventures, autumn showcases why Hong Kong continues to strengthen its position as the Events Capital of Asia, while offering visitors a collection of Only in Hong Kong moments, from iconic harbourfront experiences and vibrant neighbourhoods to hidden natural escapes and one-of-a-kind cultural traditions.

For Culture Lovers: Where Ancient Tradition Illuminates the Modern City

The season begins with the Mid-Autumn Festival, one of Hong Kong's most cherished celebrations. From 17 to 27 September, a large-scale international Mid-Autumn lantern display at Victoria Park will showcase spectacular lantern displays, including the renowned Qinhuai Lanterns from Nanjing and an International Lantern Corridor featuring festive lantern artistry from over 20 countries. Visitors can also enjoy festive ambient lighting, further highlighting Hong Kong's role as a vibrant crossroads of cultures – a city where East meets West, offering a unique opportunity to experience lantern traditions and cultural artistry from across the globe. Another highlight is the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, one of Hong Kong's most treasured cultural traditions and an event inscribed on China's National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Taking place from 24 to 26 September, the event celebrates its 147^th edition. The spectacular procession features a 67-metre dragon illuminated by 12,000 burning incense sticks, offering a rare opportunity to witness living heritage in the heart of the city.

For Active Travellers: The Urban Adventures

Sports enthusiasts can join the Sun Hung Kai Properties Hong Kong Cyclothon on 11 October, Hong Kong's largest annual cycling event. Featuring 56km and 32km scenic rides, participants will enjoy a rare opportunity to cycle across iconic bridges, through tunnels and past some of the city's most striking urban landscapes. The excitement continues off the course at the Cyclothon Carnival in the West Kowloon Cultural District, where visitors can enjoy a full day of sports, entertainment, family-friendly activities and gourmet experiences.

Visitors can also explore Hong Kong's extensive hiking trails, outlying islands and the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark, experiencing the rare contrast of vibrant cityscapes and stunning natural landscapes within easy reach of one another.

For Food and Wine Lovers: A Feast for the Senses in Asia's Culinary Capital

Food and wine lovers can savour the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival from 29 October to 1 November, when the Central Harbourfront transforms into a vibrant celebration of global flavours against the iconic Victoria Harbour skyline. Featuring more than 300 booths, world-class wines, live entertainment, exclusive tasting and food and wine pairing experiences. The Festival will also introduce a new highlight, "Only in Hong Kong" Flavours, featuring signature dishes from more than 100 restaurants — including Michelin-starred establishments, luxury hotels and beloved local favourites — celebrating the city's rich and diverse culinary scene. The festivities will continue throughout November with Hong Kong Wine & Dine Month, bringing exclusive dining offers, curated menus and gourmet experiences to restaurants, bars and hotels across the city, inviting visitors to discover Hong Kong's diverse and dynamic food scene.

For Party Lovers: East Meets West in Celebration

October will see Hong Kong host its first-ever citywide Halloween celebration, transforming the entire city into a giant stage for creativity, costumes and immersive experiences. With themed activities and local collaborations across multiple districts, visitors can join special weekends on 17 and 24 October before the citywide finale on 31 October. Popular attractions including Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park will also unveil their signature Halloween experiences, adding even more thrills to a month-long celebration unlike anywhere else in Asia.

Beyond the headline events, autumn is also the perfect time to discover Hong Kong's unique blend of urban energy and natural beauty. Visitors can admire the city's iconic skyline aboard a Star Ferry or traditional junk boat on Victoria Harbour, ride the historic "ding ding" tram through bustling neighbourhoods, or venture into the great outdoors to explore scenic hiking trails, outlying islands and dramatic coastal landscapes under comfortably cool skies.

For Family and Festive Travellers: A Sparkling Winter Celebration

As autumn gives way to winter, the excitement continues with another season of blockbuster experiences. From November onwards, Hong Kong WinterFest ushers in the festive season with a spectacular Christmas Town, complemented by immersive light displays across Central, Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay, seasonal shopping and dining experiences, and holiday attractions throughout the city. The celebrations will culminate in the spectacular New Year Countdown Celebrations (31 December), featuring a dazzling fireworks musical over Victoria Harbour. Whether drawn by culture, sport, culinary excellence or outdoor adventure, travellers will find unforgettable experiences waiting around every corner in Asia's world city.

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Hong Kong home prices notched their strongest half-year performance in eight years, with a widely watched index breaking above the 160 mark and approaching a near three-year high. The latest reading of the Centa-City Leading Index (CCL), which tracks secondary residential prices, climbed 0.52% week-on-week to 160.77, marking a fifth consecutive weekly gain and a cumulative rise of 2.11% over that period. The level is the highest since early September 2023, or 147 weeks.

Measured over the first six months of the year, the CCL advanced 11.56%, the biggest half-year increase since a 13.2% jump in the first half of 2018. The gain sharply outstripped the 4.7% rise recorded for the whole of 2025, exceeding that full-year performance by 6.86 percentage points. Centaline Property’s research department attributes the turnaround to a decline in HIBOR from May 2025 and two rounds of local bank rate cuts last year, which together helped prices bottom out and reverse course. From the low of 135.16 points when H‑rate mortgages again fell below their cap in May last year, the CCL has now risen 18.95%; compared with the 134.89 level before the March 2025 budget, it is up 19.19%. The index is now 18.34% above its level before the first rate cut in September 2024, and its gap from the historic peak of 191.34 in August 2021 has narrowed to 15.98%.

The latest advance has been broad-based across market segments. The CCL Mass, covering large housing estates, rose 0.43% week-on-week to 162.19, extending its climb for a third week and accumulating a 1.60% gain to the highest level since late August 2023. The sub-index for small and medium-sized units rose 0.50% to 160.78, also up for three straight weeks and 1.62% higher over that stretch, while the large-unit index gained 0.61% to 160.71, its fourth weekly rise in a row and a 3.64% gain over that period. On a half-year basis, all eight major price indices increased, with six of them advancing more than 10%. The overall CCL was up 11.56%, CCL Mass 11.72%, small and medium units 11.56% and large units 11.53%.

By district, Hong Kong Island outperformed the rest of the city by a wide margin, underscoring a pronounced “luxury effect” in the current upcycle. The Island’s mass-housing index climbed 1.41% in the latest week to 164.11, its third straight weekly gain and a 3.78% advance over that period, reaching a 149-week high dating back to mid-August 2023. Over the first half, Island prices surged 17.09%, compared with gains of 11.33% in Kowloon, 8.71% in New Territories East and 9.17% in New Territories West. In the latest week, New Territories West rose 0.39% to 144.9, a high not seen since early October 2023, while New Territories East edged up 0.15% to 172.43, near its early-September 2023 peak. Kowloon slipped 0.1% to 161.13 but remained at its second-highest level since early July 2023.

Despite the sharp rebound in prices, Centaline’s research team expects the pace of appreciation to moderate in the coming months. They cite a pullback in Hong Kong equities, a slower launch pipeline for new developments, more hardline pricing stances among second-hand sellers and a visible drop in transaction volumes, alongside the possibility of US rate hikes, as factors likely to cap further gains. The firm is targeting 165 points for the CCL in the third quarter, implying a further rise of 4.23 points, or about 2.63%, from current levels.