"Prosperity Gallops Across Hong Kong" Year of the Horse Fireworks Display Lit up the Night Sky over the Victoria Harbour

The "Prosperity Gallops Across Hong Kong" Year of the Horse Fireworks Display lit up Victoria Harbour for 23 thrilling minutes, launching 31,888 fireworks in total. Large crowds of residents and tourists watched from both sides of the Victoria Harbour, counting down together before the display began, creating a high-spirited atmosphere.

Photo source: offered by the reader of Bastille Post

The fireworks display attracted large crowds of residents and tourists. Photo source: offered by the reader of Bastille Post

The display was presented in eight distinctive scenes, bursting with symbolic Chinese New Year images, with the accompaniment of Chinese New Year songs and popular songs to deliver New Year's blessings. The opening scene, "Galloping into the New Year", featured a high-density burst of fireworks resembling galloping horses charging forward, setting an energetic tone for the show. Following that, a series of fireworks in the shape of distinctive auspicious symbols, such as gold ingots, the Chinese character for "good fortune," and hearts, etc., were discharged. Additionally, the patterns of horseshoe, "HKJC," and "WIN", embodying the elements of sponsor, the Hong Kong Jockey Club, also lit up the night sky, symbolizing a promising start to the Year of the Horse and best wishes for good fortune for all.

The heart shape fireworks, Photo source: Threads @ fai12091

The fireworks in the "WIN" pattern

The spectacular fireworks display

The grand finale, "Triumphant Achievement", featured majestic crown-shaped fireworks followed by a rapid-fire sequence of high-density bursts, eliciting cheers and applause from the audience.

The fireworks display lit up the night sky over the Victoria Harbour.

Some residents said they hadn't watched fireworks on site for many years. Viewing the patterns of galloping horses on the LED screen of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre across the harbor, they felt like the Hong Kong people could be brave enough to keep running forward in the coming year. In their eyes, the most memorable scene was the grand finale, which they described as decorating the night sky with thousands of dazzling stars.

The fireworks display has left a deep impression on both residents and tourists.

The impressive fireworks display

A tourist from Xi'an Province said it was his first time watching fireworks in Hong Kong. He especially loved the grand finale. Besides the spectacular fireworks, the energetic music on site also made him excited, letting him feel that the trip to Hong Kong was well worth it.

With wildfires raging across the western U.S., cities and states are restricting fireworks just as the nation gears up for one of its biggest Fourth of July celebrations in decades.

Utah recently banned personal fireworks displays, citing extreme wildfire risk. Governors in Colorado and New Mexico this week urged restraint, while cities and counties from the Southwest to Oregon and Washington have imposed restrictions of their own.

The message is simple: Families should attend professional displays instead of lighting fireworks in their own yards.

This July Fourth marks the nation’s 250th anniversary. The country is looking forward to an especially big version of the holiday’s usual mix of red, white and blue. From Mount Rushmore to Washington, D.C., and thousands of communities in between, spectacular displays are still planned.

In the past week alone, hundreds of wildfires erupted throughout the West, adding to the already above-average pace for acreage burned so far this year. The flames are being fueled by dry, windy conditions.

While the Southwest was hit particularly hard by an unusually dry winter and dismal snowpack, others parts of the U.S., including much of the East Coast and parts of the South, are experiencing varying levels of drought, according to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Nearly 85% of wildfires are caused by people, both intentionally and unintentionally, such as when power lines fail or campfires are left unattended. Lightning strikes are a common natural cause, but rarer culprits, such as animals chewing exposed wires, can cause fires, too.

Ingredients for a wildfire include flammable vegetation, weather conditions and an ignition source. Fireworks serve as an ignition source, which is why the number of fires spikes each year on July Fourth, said Philip Higuera, a fire ecology professor at the University of Montana.

“It’s not because the Fourth of July is particularly always warm and dry and windy,” he said. “It’s because there are a lot of ignitions added to the landscape on that single day.”

Only Utah has enacted statewide restrictions, with Gov. Spencer Cox declaring an emergency because of wildfire risk. In other states, decisions are being made at a local level.

Although some cities and counties are still planning to hold fireworks displays, others have canceled them, including Colorado Springs, the second-largest city in Colorado. Wednesday's decision was made just as a Rocky Mountain foothills fire 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of the city surged across 55 square miles (142 square kilometers), destroying well over 100 structures.

Certain counties in Florida have burn bans in place.

Fireworks restrictions are nothing new, but some areas are making the call for the first time.

Frank Wirth, fire chief in Alamosa, Colorado, made the tough call to cancel his town's fireworks display because dry conditions are expected. The city of nearly 10,000 is surrounded by brush and grass, and several hundred people typically attend the annual fireworks show.

“I think they’re disappointed, and I’m disappointed, too,” Wirth said, but “fireworks are a cause of fires, there’s no two ways about it.”

The fireworks industry raked in $2.3 billion last year, and that figure could climb to $3 billion this year due to America 250 celebrations, according to Julie Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association.

Heckman encouraged people to buy from a reputable licensed seller, whether it’s a big-box store or a nonprofit, and to follow the instructions to avoid injuries.

After using fireworks, have a bucket of water handy to soak the spent fireworks before disposing of them, she said. Just because there's not a flame, it doesn’t mean that combustion isn’t still happening.

Experts also said to pay attention to local authorities and to be mindful of any restrictions.

“The conditions dictate the tactics,” said Joe Ten Eyck, a wildland fire expert with the International Association of Fire Fighters. “And so that could put a damper on some people’s celebrating and they may have to celebrate in a different way.”

Intentionally or unintentionally causing a wildfire is a punishable offense nationwide, though the consequences vary by jurisdiction.

But the safest option is to forego personal fireworks and opt for a professional show, where fire crews are usually on standby. These days, some displays use drone shows instead of combustible pyrotechnics, which further minimizes the fire risk.

Volunteers Laurene Cardoza, foreground, and Jennifer Aragon work at a TNT Fireworks stand in Alhambra, Calif., Tuesday, June 30, 2026, ahead of the Fourth of July holiday. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Samantha Ramirez and her daughter Asa walk to a TNT Fireworks stand in Alhambra, Calif., Tuesday, June 30, 2026, to purchase fireworks ahead of the Fourth of July holiday. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Packages of fireworks are displayed at a TNT Fireworks stand in Alhambra, Calif., Tuesday, June 30, 2026, ahead of the Fourth of July holiday. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Jennifer Aragon, left, shows fireworks packages to a customer at a TNT Fireworks stand in Alhambra, Calif., Tuesday, June 30, 2026, ahead of the Fourth of July holiday. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Volunteers Laurene Cardoza, front, and Jennifer Aragon work at a TNT Fireworks stand in Alhambra, Calif., Tuesday, June 30, 2026, ahead of the Fourth of July holiday. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Packages of fireworks are displayed at a TNT Fireworks stand in Alhambra, Calif., Tuesday, June 30, 2026, ahead of the Fourth of July holiday. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

People purchase fireworks at a TNT Fireworks stand in Alhambra, Calif., Tuesday, June 30, 2026, ahead of the Fourth of July holiday. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)