Hong Kong will cancel its iconic New Year’s fireworks display over Victoria Harbour, and instead hold a countdown celebration in a pedestrian precinct on Chater Road, Central.

The decision was announced during an interdepartmental working-group meeting on festival arrangements, chaired by Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki. Further details will be released later.

In addition to the countdown event, the meeting confirmed that a series of festive activities will still be held on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

The Chinese mainland will observe a three-day holiday from Jan 1-3; Jan 1 is also a public holiday in Hong Kong.

With large visitor numbers expected, some boundary control points will extend their service hours on New Year’s Eve to accommodate cross-boundary travelers and the countdown crowds. These arrangements, being discussed by the special administrative region government and the Shenzhen municipal government, are pending approval from the national port authorities.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang border checkpoints will maintain their standard 24-hour operation throughout New Year’s Eve.

To ease citywide traffic pressure, overnight MTR services will run on most rail lines, and the East Rail Line’s schedule to the Lo Wu Station will also be adjusted to align with the extended hours at the border checkpoint.

Service frequency on key shuttle routes between border control points — including the Gold Bus on HZMB and the Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang Yellow Bus — alongside some cross-boundary coaches, will also be increased.

For contingency management, the Transport Department will activate dedicated passages at the HZMB, Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang, and Shenzhen Bay border points if needed.

The SAR government said it will strengthen information dissemination on crowd levels at checkpoints, transport and event updates, and weather forecasts to help residents and visitors plan their itineraries effectively.

Contact the writers at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com