Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade: A Festive Extravaganza on the First Day of Lunar New Year

HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 8, 2025--

The most spectacular Lunar New Year celebration in town – the Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade – is ready to roar back in exuberant style in Tsim Sha Tsui to welcome the first day of the Year of the Snake (29 January), kicking off a host of seasonal events across Hong Kong. The annual event is organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) with Cathay as the title sponsor for the 23rd year. With the theme Unfold a Year of Good Fortune, the parade combines performers from around the world with distinctive Hong Kong flavours presented by the floats to reflect the city’s status as an events capital for festivities with unique glamour.

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Dr Pang Yiu-kai, HKTB Chairman, said, “Hong Kong is one of the most popular destinations in the world for Lunar New Year celebrations, and the Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade is definitely a highlight of the festivities. The parade will be broadcast live by satellite and webcast around the world and will be a global attraction to remember. This year’s event trumps last year’s as HKTB hopes to kick off the Year of the Snake by showcasing an international carnival featuring performances from all over the world.”

Dr Pang continued, “HKTB will also provide visitors with a handy New Year travel guide by launching a one-stop Chinese New Year celebration webpage. The page brings together details about celebrations across the city in addition to the Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade, including the fabulous fireworks display, the Chinese New Year Raceday, and the Chinese New Year Cup on the second, third and fourth days of Lunar New Year respectively, as well as Lunar New Year fairs. Complemented by other festive activities and popular attractions, Hong Kong offers a feast of seasonal entertainment to entice visitors to stay for a few more days and return home filled with joy.”

Mr Ronald Lam, Cathay Group Chief Executive Officer, said, “As Hong Kong’s home carrier with deep roots in the city for 78 years, Cathay is committed to developing Hong Kong as an international aviation hub while supporting various mega events held in the city to promote the local economy. Meanwhile, we have been adding more flights and expanding our network to connect our customers with their friends and families from around the world. We are delighted to be the title sponsor of the Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade for the 23rd consecutive year. We hope this world-renowned Lunar New Year spectacle will give everyone a warm start to the Year of the Snake, surrounded by loved ones and filled with the joy, happiness and blessings brought by Cathay.”

Performances from More Countries and Regions than Last Year, All Brought Together in Tsim Sha Tsui

The floats and local, global and pre-parade performances in this year’s parade will total 55 – more than last year – bringing a bigger and more spectacular Lunar New Year experience to excited crowds of spectators.

A total of 14 countries and regions will be represented, including Hong Kong, with France, Argentina, Austria, India, Indonesia, and Thailand as the newcomers. There will be a total of 16 performing groups from Mainland and overseas, with some groups packing star power, like the winner of 2020 America's Got Talent: The Champions, V.UNBEATABLE DANCE GROUP, Austrian acrobatic show group and the runner-up of 2018 America's Got TalentZurcaroh, and the dance crew, the first Golden Buzzer winner of the 2023 Indonesia’s Got Talent contest BRAVERY DANCERS. Groups from Mainland are also ready to impress, including the Shaanxi Performing Arts Troupe, who featured in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 14 th National Games of China. Spectators can also enjoy the festive fan with Thai boyband LYKN and K-pop girl group Kep1er.

Presenting Local Performers of an International Standard for a Magnificent Festive Extravaganza

Representing the talents of Hong Kong are 12 performing groups with skills ranging from dancing, cheerleading, and gymnastics to rope skipping – many of them champions in international competitions. Marvel at the moves of Chestroll Dance Crew, winner of the 2019 and 2023 World of Dance Hong Kong competition, and the SDM Jazz & Ballet Academie and Hong Kong Rope Skipping Association, China, both winners of numerous international accolades. The show by the Hong Kong Rope Skipping Association China, which has participated in the parade for many years, will include top performers from the United States, France, Australia, and Japan, exchanging skills and adding a touch of international flair and vitality to the traditional festivities.

The parade will begin at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza and will work its way through Canton Road, Haiphong Road, and Nathan Road before arriving at Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers. The parade will officially begin at 8:00pm, and at 6:00pm before the parade starts, a total of 18 local performing groups will ring in the festivities with juggling, magic shows, dance and music to get you into the carnival mood.

Floats Transform into Hong Kong Tourism Ambassadors to Showcase City’s Charm

The parade this year will feature nine floats, many of which assume roles as Hong Kong Tourism Ambassadors by showcasing the city’s splendour and charm. These floats will feature famous Hong Kong icons, including the city’s popular giant pandas who will appear on a float with Hong Kong-style milk tea. Don’t miss out on floats based on the city’s stunning skyline that take inspiration from the snake motif. Also not to be missed are floats with elements of Hong Kong festivities to promote the city’s distinctive Lunar New Year culture, as well as ones carrying joyful Lunar New Year messages and greetings including windmills, lyrical couplets, blooming flowers and much more.

Creating Synergy with the Hong Kong Well-wishing Festival to Extend the Excitement of the Night Parade

HKTB is teaming up with the Hong Kong Well-wishing Festival this year to extend the excitement of the night parade. The dazzling floats and performance stage will be relocated to Lam Tsuen in Tai Po where, from 30 January to 13 February, locals and visitors can see multiple floats at the Lam Tsuen Wishing Square. On the second and third days of the Lunar New Year, locals and visitors can enjoy selected performances presented by Mainland and international performing groups who took part in the Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade. Some groups will also perform at different locations around the city on these two days, making it an event not to be missed.

Launch of New Year Travel Guide to Attract Visitors to Celebrate Lunar New Year in Hong Kong

The HKTB is providing a handy New Year travel guide for locals and visitors by launching a one-stop Chinese New Year celebration webpage. The page brings together details about celebrations across the city, including the Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade, the fabulous fireworks display, the Chinese New Year Raceday, and the Chinese New Year Cup on the first, second, third and fourth days of Lunar New Year respectively, as well as Lunar New Year fairs. Together with temple visits for blessings and other festive activities at popular attractions, the guide will give visitors spending the Lunar New Year in Hong Kong the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the city’s festive culture.

HKTB Chinese New Year celebration webpage: https://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/what-s-new/events/chinese-new-year.html

Schedule of Celebratory Events Related to the Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade*

*The performances and float display details will be announced later on the HKTB website.

Information of Video and Image Download

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Information of Social Media Livestreaming and Satellite Live Feed of “Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade”

1. Details of Social Media Livestreaming (Full programme)

2. Details of Satellite Live Feed (Full programme)

Asia Sat 5, 100.5 degrees East (covering Asia markets including mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Asia & Southeast Asia, Middle East, Eastern Europe & CIS, New Zealand and Australia)

Eutelsat E7B, 7 degrees East (covering Europe)

Intelsat IS-19, 166.0 degrees East (covering Asia region and the Western United States)

Intelsat IS-34, 55.5 degrees West (covering the Americas, North America & South America)

Spectators can enjoy the festive fan with K-pop girl group Kep1er. (Credit: Hong Kong Tourism Board)

The parade this year will feature nine floats. These floats will feature famous Hong Kong icons, including the city’s popular giant pandas who will appear on a float with Hong Kong-style milk tea. (Credit: Hong Kong Tourism Board)

The Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade – is ready to roar back in exuberant style in Tsim Sha Tsui to welcome the first day of the Year of the Snake (29 January), kicking off a host of seasonal events across Hong Kong. (Credit: Hong Kong Tourism Board)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wildfires that ripped through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles forced many Hollywood stars, including Mark Hamill, Mandy Moore and James Woods, to evacuate their homes.

California firefighters are battling wind-whipped fires tearing across the area, destroying homes, clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled and straining resources as the fires burned uncontained early Wednesday.

The Pacific Palisades neighborhood is a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity residences and memorialized by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit “Surfin’ USA.” In the frantic haste to get to safety, roadways became impassable when scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some toting suitcases.

“Evacuated Malibu so last minute,” wrote Hamill in an Instagram post Tuesday night. “Small fires on both sides of the road as we approached (the Pacific Coast Highway).”

Less than 72 hours before, Hollywood’s highest-wattage stars had convened to walk the Golden Globes’ red carpet, the first major event of the exuberant and, for many, triumphant awards season. The revelry of awards season had quickly been snuffed out, too: Premieres of contenders like “Better Man” and “The Last Showgirl” were canceled, the Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations were announced via press release instead of at a live event and weekend events like the AFI Awards were preemptively scrubbed.

The Oscar nominations are also being delayed two days to Jan. 19 and the film academy has extended the voting window to accommodate members affected by the fires.

Here's how celebrities and entertainment companies are being impacted by the fires burning in and around Los Angeles:

Jamie Lee Curtis said Wednesday on Instagram that her family is safe, but she suggested her neighborhood and possibly her home is on fire. She said many of her friends lost their homes.

“It's a terrifying situation and I'm grateful to the firefighters and all of the good Samaritans who are helping people get out of the way of the blaze."

Other stars who have homes in the area include Adam Sandler, Ben Affleck, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.

Many are awaiting word on whether their homes survived the flames.

Mandy Moore said her family evacuated too and has since tried to shield her kids from the “immense sadness and worry” that she currently feels.

“So gutted for the destruction and loss,” she posted in her Instagram story. “Don't know if our place made it.”

Woods posted footage Tuesday of flames burning through bushes and past palm trees on a hill near his home. The towering orange flames billowed among the landscaped yards between the homes.

“Standing in my driveway, getting ready to evacuate,” Woods said in the short video on X. Later, he confirmed he had evacuated and added: “It tests your soul, losing everything at once, I must say.”

Officials didn’t give an estimate of structures damaged or destroyed in the wildfire, but they said at least 70,000 residents were under evacuation orders and nearly 30,000 structures were under threat.

The fire burned down Temescal Canyon, a popular hiking area surrounded by dense neighborhoods of multimillion-dollar homes. Flames jumped famous Sunset Boulevard and burned parts of the Palisades Charter High School, which has been featured in many Hollywood productions including the 1976 horror movie “Carrie,” the 2003 remake of “Freaky Friday” and the TV series “Teen Wolf.”

The Palisades fire also destroyed the historic ranch house that belonged to Hollywood legend Will Rogers. It was among multiple structures destroyed at both Will Rogers State Historic Park and Topanga State Park. The historic Topanga Ranch Motel, built by William Randolph Hearst in 1929, also burned down.

Rogers’ ranch, built on land he bought in the 1920s, occupied some 359 acres in what is now Pacific Palisades. It included a 31-room ranch house, a stable, golf course and riding trails. His wife donated it to California State Parks in 1944.

The Critics Choice Awards, originally scheduled for Sunday, have been postponed until Feb. 26.

Film studios canceled two movie premieres due to the fire and windy weather, the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park closed for the day due to the smoky and windy conditions and the J. Paul Getty Trust said two of its museums, the Getty Villa and Getty Center, would remain closed for the next few days.

Universal Studios also canceled shooting for numerous series, including “Hacks,” “Ted Lasso” and “Suits LA.”

The Walt Disney Co. closed its headquarters in Burbank, and canceled production on several series, including “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Doctor Odyssey.” ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” which tapes in Hollywood, was canceled for Wednesday and will instead air a repeat.

The production pauses added to further disruptions to the film and TV industry in Los Angeles, including the cancellation of the premiere to Universal’s “Wolf Man” and postponement of the American Film Institute awards gala, scheduled for Friday.

Crew members carry out signs for the new film "Wolf Man" after the premiere was cancelled due to high winds in the area on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire as it burns a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)