Hong Kong Flower Show 2024: Celebrate Vibrant Cosmos at Victoria Park from March 14-23!

Flower Show to adorn Victoria Park with theme flower cosmos from March 14

This year's Hong Kong Flower Show (HKFS) will be held at Victoria Park for 10 days from March 14 to 23, running from 9am to 9pm daily, featuring the richly coloured cosmos as its theme flower and "Ablaze with Glory" as the theme. With veil-thin petals that flutter in a light breeze, cosmos exudes a gentle and charming vibe. Symbolising tenacity and bliss, the blooming flowers of vigorous cosmos will bring exuberance and vitality to the show.

Native to Mexico, cosmos is an annual herbaceous member of the Asteraceae family. Through years of natural propagation and artificial hybridisation, cosmos has produced many variants and cultivars, including distinctive ones with curled or ligulate florets and double-petal flower heads. Cosmos is highly adaptable to various climates and soils and can even thrive in poor soil conditions.

Cosmos has large and beautiful flowers. The flowering period is as long as several months. The flowers come in an array of vibrant colours, ranging from pure floral colours such as lavender, fuchsia, magenta, pink and white to special species with colours in two-tone, picotee, stripes and inner halo.

The colourful and vigorous cosmos, with its long-lasting flowering period, is easy to cultivate and maintain. It is therefore a desirable material used in roadside planting, decorating flowerbeds and flower arrangements. Apart from being adornments, cosmos has culinary and medicinal uses. The entire plant can be used in traditional Chinese medicine to clear heat and toxins, while its tender shoots and leaves are served as delicacies across Southeast Asia.

In addition to this year's theme flower and other flowering plants, the event will showcase a large collection of exquisite potted plants, beautiful floral arrangements and well-crafted landscape displays by local, Mainland and overseas organisations. There will also be commercial stalls selling flowers and horticultural products. A wide variety of educational and recreational fringe activities will also be provided for the enjoyment of visitors of all ages.

For more details about the HKFS and its admission fee arrangements, please visit the webpage at www.hkflowershow.hk/en/hkfs/2025/index.html or call 2601 8260 for enquiries.

The HKFS is organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust is supporting the flower show for the 13th consecutive year and has been its major sponsor since 2014.

Flower Show to adorn Victoria Park with theme flower cosmos from March 14 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Flower Show to adorn Victoria Park with theme flower cosmos from March 14 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Flower Show to adorn Victoria Park with theme flower cosmos from March 14 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Flower Show to adorn Victoria Park with theme flower cosmos from March 14 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Flower Show to adorn Victoria Park with theme flower cosmos from March 14 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Flower Show to adorn Victoria Park with theme flower cosmos from March 14 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Flower Show to adorn Victoria Park with theme flower cosmos from March 14 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Flower Show to adorn Victoria Park with theme flower cosmos from March 14 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for possession of duty-not-paid cigarettes

An incoming passenger was sentenced to 29 days of imprisonment by the Fanling Magistrates' Courts today (May 23) for possessing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them to Customs officers, in contravention of Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO).

Customs officers intercepted the incoming 58-year-old male passenger at the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point yesterday (May 22) and seized 1 981 sticks of duty-not-paid cigarettes from him. The estimated market value of the seized cigarettes was about $8,100, and the duty potential was about $6,500. He was subsequently arrested.

Customs welcomes the sentence, noting that even a first-time offender may still be imprisoned. The custodial sentence has imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflects the seriousness of the offences. Members of the public should not defy the law.

Customs reminds members of the public that under the DCO, cigarettes are dutiable goods to which the DCO applies. Any person who imports, deals with, possesses, sells or buys illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for possession of duty-not-paid cigarettes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases