Your perfect week: what to do in Hong Kong, April 27-May 3
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Cheung Chau Bun Festival
Competitors scramble up a bamboo bun tower to collect imitation Ping On buns during the annual Bun Festival in Cheung Chau. Photo: Yik Yeung-man
Don't miss out on one of Hong Kong's
most iconic festivals , which this year runs on May 5 and 6. Having been celebrated since the 18th century on the island of Cheung Chau, the festival begins with the Piu Sik Parade, where children dressed as deities are carried on stilts above the crowd, and ends with the
adrenaline-filled Bun Scrambling Competition , where competitors race up 60-foot bun-covered towers for the big prize of … more buns.
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Ying Jee Club
Crispy sea cucumber stuffed with shrimp mousse and pork at Ying Jee Club. Photo: Ying Jee Club
Opened in 2017, the two-Michelin-starred Ying Jee Club has debuted new dishes for the first time in a long while, focusing on the intricacies of
Cantonese cuisine . Cue sour and spicy fish and geoduck soup, crispy sea cucumber stuffed with shrimp mousse, and leopard coral grouper congee – truly a warm hug in a bowl.
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New Model Army
Singer Justin Sullivan of the British band New Model Army performs on stage at the Huxleys in Berlin, Germany, in March 2024.
Hailing from Bradford, England, rock outfit New Model Army are rallying the troops in Hong Kong for the first time in their 45-year career. Taking to the stage at
The Wanch on Tuesday and Wednesday, the band will perform songs from their latest album, Unbroken (2024), as well as 1980s hits such as 'No Rest' and '51st State', which are all sure to delight long-time fans.
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Drink this
The Wise King
King's Negroni at The Wise King, combining olive gin, sweet vermouth, Kahlua and limoncello. Photo: The Wise King
What is possibly SoHo's smallest cocktail bar has refreshed its drinks menu with nine new tipples based on classics infused with
Mediterranean flavours . On the more traditional end of the spectrum is the King's Negroni, combining olive gin, sweet vermouth, Kahlua and limoncello; while the Tiramisu is a treat for dessert lovers with its blend of rum, passion fruit and tiramisu foam.
25 Staunton Street, Central
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South China Morning Post
13-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Rich city traditions help attract tourists
Hong Kong is playing host to numerous new events as it seeks to broaden its appeal and adapt to the tastes of today's tourists. But traditional cultural attractions retain their value and must be preserved as tourism evolves. The iconic Cheung Chau Bun Festival, dating back to the 18th or 19th century, remains one of the most colourful and creative. More than 22,000 people recently headed to the outlying island for the culmination of the four-day event. Advertisement An enthusiastic reception was given to the children featured in the 'floating parade'. This year, some were dressed as government ministers, famous athletes and a character from the popular mainland film Ne Zha 2. Meanwhile, the traditional 'ping on' steamed buns were very much in demand. People queued for hours for tickets to see the climax of the festival, the breathtaking bun scramble, which resulted in third-time winner Janet Kung Tsz-shan being crowned 'queen of bun queens'. Hong Kong is gearing up for a month of activities showcasing and celebrating intangible cultural heritage in June. The campaign, the first of its kind, will coincide with and support China's Cultural and National Heritage Day. Many events are planned across six districts with the aim of attracting tourists and increasing awareness of the city's traditions. There will be carnivals and fun days, with cultural highlights ranging from a Hakka unicorn dance to Cantonese opera, puppetry, Chinese brush making and dragon boats. Performances, exhibitions, workshops and conferences will be held at plazas, town halls, museums, libraries and schools. There will also be interactive booths. Food is an important element, because Hong Kong is hoping the United Nations will recognise the city's culinary heritage. Techniques for making shrimp paste and rice dumplings are among the activities included. Advertisement It is good to see efforts being made to maintain the city's traditions and present them to a wider audience. They are a vital and distinctive part of the city's history and culture and continue to appeal to visitors. As Hong Kong embraces everything from 'mega-events' to 'selfie tourism', maintaining its rich traditions must be a priority.
HKFP
06-05-2025
- HKFP
HKFP Lens: Hong Kong's Cheung Chau bun festival returns – with fewer visitors than last year
Hong Kong's iconic bun festival on Cheung Chau Island attracted tens of thousands of people on Monday, but visitor numbers were lower compared with last year. Held annually on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, which coincides with Buddha's Birthday, the Jiao Festival features a parade, lion dance, Chinese opera performances, and concludes with the late-night bun scramble competition. Islands District Councillor Kwok Wai-man told an RTHK programme on Tuesday that around 40,000 people flocked to this year's festival – down from 51,000 revellers last year. According to Sun Ferry, which operates the ferry service between Central and Cheung Chau, there were around 44,200 passenger trips as of 9pm on Monday – a 19 per cent drop from last year. The festival, said to date back to the 1800s, attracts both local residents and foreign tourists. The government downsized the scale of the festival in 2020 to 2022, when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. It returned to full scale in 2023, attracting 43,000 people to the island. One of the festival's highlights was the Piu Sik, which translates as 'Floating Colours' – during which children in fancy dress are held up on towering poles and paraded through the winding streets of the outlying island. Traditionally, they dress up in satirical costumes mimicking top government officials and lawmakers. This year, some were spotted dressed as Finance Secretary Paul Chan. In the evening, the island held Cantonese opera performances for deities, known as 'Sun Kung Hei.' The festival culminated in a late-night scramble by competitors up a precipitous 18-metre 'bun tower' made from imitation buns. Around 1,650 spectators watched 12 finalists – nine men and three women – collect as many buns as possible within a three-minute time limit. Ice climber Janet Kung and firefighter Jason Kwok won the competition this year. Kwok, a 10-time champion, defended the 'Bun King' title, while Kung, a three-time winner, claimed the 'Bun Queen' title.
RTHK
05-05-2025
- RTHK
Firefighter, ice climber win bun-scrambling contest
Firefighter, ice climber win bun-scrambling contest Jason Kwok defended his title as "Bun King" and ice climber Janet Kung won the title of "Bun Queen". Photo: RTHK Nine male and three female finalists clambered up a 14-metre tall bun tower at the same time. Photo: RTHK The Cheung Chau bun festival has wrapped up with its main event on Tuesday - the midnight bun-scrambling competition. Ten-time champion Jason Kwok defended his title as "Bun King", and ice climber Janet Kung won the title of "Bun Queen". Nine male and three female finalists clambered up a 14-metre tall bun tower at the same time. Those climbers who filled their bags with the most buns in three minutes won the most points. Kung, 31, also claimed the title "Queen of Bun Queens" after her third victory. "Earning this title is a milestone for me, after participating in this game for nine years," she said. "I will continue joining the bun-scrambling competition. It's a sports event that I have to join every year. It is just like a report card of my fitness and attitude every year, and see whether I've improved. So far I've been improving." Firefighter Kwok said he didn't expect to win as a Bun King again this year. "My opponents are tough. I was worried that they would take the win. At my age, it's the taking part that counts. I'm just happy to be here," he said. He said his winning strategy was to climb fast to the top and snag those nine-point buns before others. Over 100 people queued early to get free tickets for the event. One attendee surnamed Cheung said he arrived at 5 am on Monday. "I want a good spot. I've been watching the contests for more than a decade," he said. "I'm not a Cheung Chau resident, but after all these years, it's just second nature. If I skip watching it, I get this itch. It's like catching up with old friends every year. No matter how long it takes to stand in line to watch the event, I don't care. I can tough it out." The Cheung Chau Bun Festival traces its roots to a ritual for people to pray for safety from a plague.
