The Hong Kong Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance 2024 has confirmed its dates: September 16–18, 2024, which falls on the same day as this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival. The show will be held in Victoria Park on September 17, the actual festival day, from 11 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. On other nights, the procession will go from 7:30 p.m. until 10 p.m.
The iconic celebration during the Mid-Autumn Festival has taken place for more than 140 years in the neighbourhood of Tai Tang. It’s an event that anyone shouldn’t miss out on.
Fire dragon dances have been part of Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations throughout the years. There will be plenty happening in the city before and during the festivities but the one in Tai Hang is one of the oldest and most well-known.
During the dragon dance, the residents carry a 67-metre-long dragon made out of 72,000 joss sticks. This will then be carried and paraded around the neighbourhood for three nights. The dragon is known for its heaviness, with the head alone weighing 45 kilograms. In total, 300 dancers will take part including those carrying the dragon and those accompanying the parade. For this year’s edition, more than 100 children will also be part of the procession to hold lanterns and guide the dragon from the front.
Before the actual parade, there will be a ceremony at the Lin Ka Fung Temple. From there, the procession will begin at Sun Chun Street and move around different streets of the Tai Hang neighbourhood. Make your way to the intersection of Shepherd Street and Wun Sha Street for the best vantage point.
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The Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance is believed to have first taken place in 1880. The residents of a small Hakka village built a fire dragon with incense tickets in hopes of ending the plague. They also set off firecrackers, gongs, and drums. Since then, the fire dragon dance has graced the streets of Tai Hang during the Mid-Autumn Festival. It continues to attract crowds due to its spectacular display of fire, dance, and celebration each year.
In 2011, the fire dragon dance became part of the national list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hong Kong. It joins the likes of the Cheung Chau Bun Festival and the Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade.
(Image credit: TaiHangFireDragon/Facebook)
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong.
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