CNY Fair Stall Auctions in New Territories Begin October 20, Featuring Over 800 Stalls for Bidders

Auctions for Chinese New Year fair stalls in New Territories to start next Tuesday

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (October 13) reminded interested parties to join auctions that will start next Tuesday (October 20) for stalls at the 2027 Chinese New Year (CNY) fairs in the New Territories.

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. Photo source: reference image

The eight fairs, with a total of 539 wet goods stalls, 232 dry goods stalls and eight fast food stalls, will be held at Sha Tsui Road Playground in Tsuen Wan, Plover Cove Road Mini-soccer Pitch in Tai Po, Tung Tau Industrial Area Playground in Yuen Long, Tin Hau Temple Plaza in Tuen Mun, Po Hong Park in Tseung Kwan O, Shek Wu Hui Playground in North District, Kwai Chung Sports Ground in Kwai Tsing and Yuen Wo Playground in Sha Tin.

The auctions for stalls of the CNY fairs in Tsuen Wan and Yuen Long will be held at the Assembly Hall, 2/F, Lai Chi Kok Government Offices, on October 20 and 22 respectively. The auction sessions are scheduled from 9am to 12.30pm (AM session) and 2pm until completion of the auction (PM session).

The auctions for stalls of the CNY fairs in Tai Po, Tuen Mun, Tseung Kwan O, North District, Kwai Tsing and Sha Tin will be held at the above-mentioned venue on October 21, 23, 26, 27, 28 and 29 respectively. The auction session is scheduled from 9am until completion of the auction.

Details of the auctions are as follows:

Sha Tsui Road Playground (Tsuen Wan)

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Auction date: October 20 (Tuesday)

Number of stalls: 126

AM session: Wet goods (Stall Nos. 1 to 64)

PM session: Wet goods (Stall Nos. 65 to 96) and dry goods

Opening prices:

Wet goods: $1,770

Dry goods (regular size): $8,480

Dry goods (large size): $12,720

Plover Cove Road Mini-soccer Pitch (Tai Po)

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Auction date: October 21 (Wednesday)

Number of stalls: 75

Stall types: Fast food, wet goods and dry goods

Opening prices:

Fast food: $5,480

Wet goods: $2,270

Dry goods (regular size): $1,450

Dry goods (large size): $2,180

Tung Tau Industrial Area Playground (Yuen Long)

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Auction date: October 22 (Thursday)

Number of stalls: 158

AM session: Fast food and wet goods (Stall Nos. 57 to 72 and 77 to 136)

PM session: Wet goods (Stall Nos. 137 to 156) and dry goods

Opening prices:

Fast food: $5,480

Wet goods: $700

Dry goods (regular size): $1,350

Dry goods (large size): $2,030

Tin Hau Temple Plaza (Tuen Mun)

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Auction date: October 23 (Friday)

Number of stalls: 62

Stall types: Fast food, wet goods and dry goods

Opening prices:

Fast food: $2,740

Wet goods: $1,490

Dry goods: $2,140

Po Hong Park (Tseung Kwan O)

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Auction date: October 26 (Monday)

Number of stalls: 93

Stall types: Fast food, wet goods and dry goods

Opening prices:

Fast food: $4,570

Wet goods: $830

Dry goods (regular size): $1,540

Dry goods (large size): $2,310

Shek Wu Hui Playground (North District)

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Auction date: October 27 (Tuesday)

Number of stalls: 92

Stall types: Wet goods and dry goods

Opening prices:

Wet goods: $710

Dry goods (regular size): $1,540

Dry goods (large size): $2,310

Kwai Chung Sports Ground (Kwai Tsing)

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Auction date: October 28 (Wednesday)

Number of stalls: 98

Stall types: Wet goods and dry goods

Opening prices:

Wet goods: $490

Dry goods (regular size): $2,250

Dry goods (large size): $3,380

Yuen Wo Playground (Sha Tin)

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Auction date: October 29 (Thursday)

Number of stalls: 75

Stall types: Wet goods and dry goods

Opening prices:

Wet goods: $3,580

Dry goods (regular size): $4,570

Dry goods (large size): $6,860

Bidders for CNY fair stalls must be at least 18 years old and ordinarily reside in Hong Kong.

Chinese New Year fair stalls. Photo source; reference image

Anyone can bid for more than one stall. A bidder must pay the bid price and register in person with his/her own name as the licensee of the stall immediately after successfully bidding for a stall. The bidder is also required to sign at once a licence agreement with the FEHD; otherwise he/she will forfeit the rights to operate the stall.

All fair sites will be made available to the licensees three days in advance of the fairs (from January 28 to 30, 2027) for the setting up of stalls. In the event of any unforeseeable incident that will cause a reduction of the whole licence period (including the duration for setting up stalls and the business period of the fair), the Government has the right to postpone the commencement date and shorten the duration of the period. The bidding price (licence fee) paid will be refunded to the successful bidder on a pro-rata basis without interest.

Stall licensees must completely remove the stall structure and all paraphernalia, together with all refuse, debris and unsold commodities (whether damaged or otherwise) from the licensed area before 7am on February 6, 2027.

The FEHD reminds licensees that the stalls are solely for the purpose of selling and promoting the sale of the permitted commodities, and no other activities are allowed in the licensed area. If the FEHD considers that any activity conducted by the licensee to publicise, promote, display, show or sell any permitted commodities in the venue is unlawful, contrary to the interest of national security, immoral or incompatible with the object of the CNY fair, the FEHD is entitled to direct the licensee to stop conducting such activity and the licensee must immediately comply with such direction.

Stall licensees should not destroy, damage or abandon any unsold commodities at or in the vicinity of the stall. They may surrender unsold flowers and plants left behind at the stall to the FEHD at no charge, cost or compensation whatsoever, before 7am on February 6, 2027.

According to the licence agreement, except inside designated stalls, licensees must not keep, store or use any compressed helium cylinder in the licensed area. Whereas licensees of the designated stalls may keep, store or use helium cylinders in the licenced area, the quantity of helium should be such that a licence is not required pursuant to the Dangerous Goods (Application and Exemption) Regulation 2012 (Cap. 295E), i.e. equivalent to 150 litres of helium. Sales of floating LED glowing balloons and aquarium fish by stall licensees are prohibited at the CNY fairs.

Chinese New Year fair stalls. Photo source; reference image

In addition, as stated in the licence agreement, the height of dry goods stalls must not exceed 3 metres from ground level, while the height of wet goods stalls and fast food stalls must not exceed 4.5m from ground level. For wet goods stalls and fast food stalls with a height of more than 3m from ground level, the licensee must, at his/her own costs, provide the FEHD with the original certificate issued by an authorised person, a registered structural engineer, or a competent person under the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations (Cap. 59I) to certify the structural safety of the structure in the licensed area before the fair is opened to the public. The licensee must also affix a copy of the aforesaid certificate on the structure of the stall. Also, each corner and anchor point of the marquee (if any) shall be securely fastened using appropriate ballast weights, such as sandbags or purpose-designed marquee water weights. During the period when the Strong Monsoon Signal is in force or is to be issued, the licensee shall immediately inspect the stall and adopt reinforcement measures as necessary.

Successful bidders shall comply with all the stipulations and provisions as set out in the licence agreement. Otherwise, the department is entitled to terminate the agreement and the licensee shall immediately vacate the stall.

Details of the 2027 CNY fairs such as the public notice, the locations and layouts of the fair venues, commodities allowed for sale at the fair stalls, open auction arrangements and related rules, and a sample of the licence agreement are available on the FEHD website (www.fehd.gov.hk). For enquiries, please call the FEHD hotline 2868 0000.

Chinese New Year fair stalls. Photo source; reference image

Ombudsman probes effectiveness of Leisure and Cultural Services Department's management of indoor fitness rooms

The following is issued on behalf of the Office of The Ombudsman:

The Ombudsman, Mr Jack Chan, today (October 13) announced the launch of a direct investigation operation to examine the effectiveness of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD)'s management of indoor fitness rooms.

The National 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly proposes to actively develop mass sports, extensively promote fitness activities for all and strengthen participation in fitness activities among young people, with a target of raising the proportion of the population regularly participating in physical exercise to approximately 40 per cent. The country will enhance the national fitness institutional system, and step up the planning and construction of venues and facilities in local communities. Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan also proposes to drive wider participation in sports, and promote sports in the community with the goal of enhancing the overall health of the public.

Currently, the LCSD operates a total of 87 indoor fitness rooms, generally located within sports centres across various districts. However, except for holders of relevant qualifications recognised by the Physical Fitness Association of Hong Kong, China, members of the public who wish to register as a user of LCSD fitness rooms and hire fitness equipment must first attend a three-hour "Briefing on Proper Ways to Use Fitness Equipment" (Briefing Session) organised by the LCSD and then pass a written test, or complete its 12-hour "Fitness (Multi-gym) Training Course" (Training Course) with an attendance rate of at least 80 per cent. Between 2023 and 2025, the number of registered users of LCSD fitness rooms increased by 56 per cent from around 151 000 to 236 000, while the total number of user visits to fitness rooms per year increased by 50 per cent from around 4.852 million to 7.262 million.

A preliminary inquiry by the Office of The Ombudsman revealed a severe shortage of places for the Briefing Sessions and Training Courses organised by the LCSD. In 2025, the LCSD held around 1 000 Briefing Sessions throughout the year with a total of 25 000 places, but the total number of applications in the year was as many as 377 000. In the same year, the LCSD held around 2 500 Training Courses with a total of 58 500 places, but the total number of applications in the year reached 257 000. Unsuccessful applicants who cannot attend the Briefing Session or Training Course are not eligible to use the LCSD's fitness room facilities.

Mr Chan said, "Public recreation and sports facilities are of utmost importance to promoting participation in sports in the community. The high volume of applications for the LCSD's Briefing Sessions and Training Courses reflects keen public demand for use of fitness rooms. While the LCSD requires members of the public to either possess relevant qualifications or complete its fitness training before they can use its fitness rooms, no similar requirements are in place for other risky sports such as swimming. Furthermore, the supply of such training falls far short of demand. All these may be the biggest barrier for wider participation in the fitness sport and should be addressed and removed. The Office considers it necessary to review whether the qualification requirement for users still serves any practical need and whether a similar requirement is in place for public fitness rooms in the country and elsewhere."

Meanwhile, there are two types of hire charges for LCSD fitness rooms, i.e. an hourly ticket and a monthly ticket, the latter entitling the holder to unlimited use. In view of the higher demand by monthly ticket holders, most fitness rooms allocate a larger share of the quota to them. Starting from November 1, 2024, monthly ticket holders have been required to book fitness room facilities via SmartPLAY. In response to their calls for greater flexibility, the LCSD currently allows monthly ticket holders to cancel the booking via SmartPLAY up to one hour before the start of the booked session. The Office has received views that other members of the public can hardly proceed to the fitness room at such short notice, leading to wastage of the vacated place.

The Office also notes that the LCSD does not impose any penalties on monthly ticket holders for failing to take up a booked session. A monthly ticket holder who has made a booking but is absent need not take responsibility at all. Moreover, there is no cap on the number of sessions in fitness rooms that monthly ticket holders can book each day. Their actual use of the facilities is significantly less than the booked period. As a result, even though bookings are full, the actual number of users in the fitness rooms falls short of the number of hirers.

Mr Chan said, "LCSD fitness rooms are publicly funded and affordable. The facilities are scarce public resources and should be reasonably used. An appropriate balance should be struck between convenient booking and efficient use of limited public resources.

"With the promotion of fitness for all elevated to a national strategic level, the LCSD should proactively align with national development strategies by enhancing the mechanism for use of fitness rooms to foster broader participation in sports. In this light, I have decided to launch a direct investigation operation to examine the LCSD’s management of fitness rooms, including the mandatory training requirement prior to use of fitness rooms, the booking mechanism, the utilisation rate of fitness rooms, the LCSD’s monitoring measures and maintenance and repair of fitness equipment. Where necessary, pertinent recommendations will be made for improvement."

The Ombudsman welcomes views from members of the public on this topic. Written submissions should reach the Office of The Ombudsman by November 13:

Address: 30/F, China Merchants Tower, Shun Tak Centre

168–200 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong

Fax: 2882 8149

Email: di496@ombudsman.hk

The Ombudsman, Mr Jack Chan, today (October 13) announced the launch of a direct investigation operation to examine the effectiveness of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD)'s management of indoor fitness rooms. Photo shows available quotas for the LCSD's indoor fitness rooms. Zero represents that the relevant slot was fully booked. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Ombudsman, Mr Jack Chan, today (October 13) announced the launch of a direct investigation operation to examine the effectiveness of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD)'s management of indoor fitness rooms. Photo shows an indoor fitness room of the LCSD. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases