More than 22,000 Hongkongers and tourists have flocked to Cheung Chau for the island’s annual bun festival and colourful parade featuring children dressed as ministers, famous athletes and the character from the hit mainland Chinese film Ne Zha 2.
“It is amazing! Watching on television cannot compare with this,” finance worker Thomas Tam, in his thirties, said as he took in the sights and sounds of the celebration on Monday.
The Cheung Chau Bun Festival falls on Buddha’s Birthday, and this year coincided with the final day of the Labour Day “golden week” holiday.
Sun Ferry said it recorded about 44,200 passenger trips between Central and Cheung Chau by 9pm, marking a 19 per cent decrease compared with last year. The trip to Cheung Chau and back to the city centre each accounted for half of the total.
In 2024, the ferry operator logged more than 51,000 trips between Central and Cheung Chau by 8pm on the bun festival day, which was an 18 per cent uptick from that of 2023.
Crowds lined the streets of the island to catch a glimpse of the Piu Sik Parade, which began at 1.30pm. Themes of this year’s parade included the Ne Zha character, the Southeast Asian scam compound “KK Park” and the National Games.
KK Park is a term that has become synonymous with scam farms in Myanmar. Authorities have recorded 28 cases of Hongkongers allegedly detained in these compounds since last year.
A girl dressed in a flowing yellow dress and wearing a sun hat held up a sign thanking mainland and Hong Kong authorities for their rescue efforts.
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