John Lee Welcomes Guests to 2026 International Chinese New Year Night Parade in Hong Kong

Speech by CE at 2026 International Chinese New Year Night Parade 

Following is the English version of the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at 2026 International Chinese New Year Night Parade today (February 17):

Let me say a few words in English now, ladies and gentlemen, to welcome our friends from around the world.

It's wonderful to have you in Hong Kong for the annual International Chinese New Year Night Parade, celebrating with us the first fantastic day of the Year of the Horse.

This year's parade, themed "Best Fortune · World Party", features nearly 60 floats and performing groups. They're here to sing, dance and revel in the festive joy of this magnificent Hong Kong street party – your world party.

You can enjoy the floats at Kai Tak Sports Park and other landmarks after tonight. The parade is just the beginning of our Chinese New Year celebrations.

Tomorrow night, a dazzling fireworks display will illuminate both sides of Victoria Harbour, filling the sky with shimmering colour, explosive sound and the surging symbols of renewal, joy and abundance.

There's no better way to celebrate the Year of the Horse than by taking in the "Year of the Horse Raceday" on Thursday. And on Saturday, don't miss the Chinese New Year Cup – a long standing football tradition.

These are just a few highlights. You'll discover Chinese New Year festivities throughout Hong Kong – Asia’s capital for culture, entertainment, sports and mega-events.

In Chinese culture, horses symbolise vitality, courage and progress. In this Year of the Horse, I wish you and your families health, happiness and prosperity.

Enjoy Hong Kong! Thank you all.

The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, attended the 2026 International Chinese New Year Night Parade tonight (February 17). Photo shows (from third right, back row) the Chief Executive Officer of the Cathay Pacific Group, Mr Ronald Lam; the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law; Mr Lee and his wife; the Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Dr Peter Lam; and the Permanent Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ms Vivian Sum, with the performance groups. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, attended the 2026 International Chinese New Year Night Parade tonight (February 17). Photo shows (from left) the Chief Executive Officer of the Cathay Pacific Group, Mr Ronald Lam; the Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Dr Peter Lam; Mr Lee and his wife; and the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, officiating at the kick-off ceremony. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, speaks at the 2026 International Chinese New Year Night Parade tonight (February 17). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, speaks at the 2026 International Chinese New Year Night Parade tonight (February 17). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

FEHD's Lunar New Year fairs concluded successfully

The 2026 Lunar New Year (LNY) fairs concluded successfully at 7am today (February 17). The fairs were held at 14 locations for seven days from February 11, attracting about 2.65 million visitors. Yesterday (February 16) was the peak, with more than 210 000 visitors in the LNY Fair at Victoria Park on a single day.

A spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said that, this year the FEHD arranged festive music and photo spots at the LNY fairs, as well as lion dance performances and souvenir distribution, which were well received by the public. The FEHD expressed gratitude to the relevant departments for their support and to the stall licensees for their co-operation with the management measures, which helped to keep the fair sites clean, safe and orderly. The department is pleased to see members of the public actively supporting and enjoying the fairs which operation has been smooth in general.

This year, the FEHD continued to apply technological measures to monitor the venues for implementation of crowd control as necessary. The footfall of individual LNY fairs was displayed on the FEHD website with a view to enabling the public to know about the crowd conditions at the fairs early. The FEHD has also offered assistance to stall licensees in various aspects such as security and refuse collection to ensure the smooth operation of the LNY fairs.

The department adopted various waste reduction and recycling measures. In addition to clearly labeling litter bins and recycling bins with different tags, the department has arranged on-site staff to remind the public to dispose of waste properly. Apart from collecting general recyclables such as waste paper, plastics and metals at the fairs, the department also arranged for contractors to collect bamboo sticks, wooden pallets, polyfoam and wilted or unsold flowers, all of which have reusable value. From the opening of the LNY fair sites up to the site clearance operation today, about 113 tonnes of materials with reusable value were collected from the 14 LNY fair sites to enhance resource recycling. Furthermore, food waste recycling was practised in the LNY fairs with fast food stalls.

Moreover, the FEHD also gathered some 1 853 unsold pots of flowers and plants donated by licensees at the fairs. These were delivered to 251 elderly homes/residential care homes for persons with disabilities and seven public hospitals by 22 volunteer teams comprising FEHD staff members.

With the LNY fairs concluded successfully, the department deployed about 250 staff members and 50 refuse collection vehicles and street washing vehicles to clean the Victoria Park venue. The other 13 LNY fair sites were cleaned up by the department's cleansing contractors. All site clearance work was completed at about 7pm. After thorough cleaning, the venues were restored to their original state.

Despite the conclusion of LNY fairs, the Che Kung Festival Fair and the Fong Ma Po New Year Fair at Lam Tsuen in Tai Po will be held until March 3. The spokesman reminded members of the public planning to visit the two fairs that they may browse information, including the opening hours of the fairs, on the FEHD's webpagein advance.

FEHD's Lunar New Year fairs concluded successfully Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

FEHD's Lunar New Year fairs concluded successfully Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

FEHD's Lunar New Year fairs concluded successfully Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

FEHD's Lunar New Year fairs concluded successfully Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

FEHD's Lunar New Year fairs concluded successfully Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases