Excitement builds in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is gearing up for an exciting fall with a host of special events planned. Kicking things off is the Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Festival, which runs from Sept. 27 to Oct. 2, and marks the ancient Chinese Harvest Festival and features traditional lanterns merging with the city’s trademark neon beneath which fiery dragons dance through the busy streets and a full moon shines down on the revellers. Food always takes the limelight through the fall, and this year will be extra-special due to the 10th staging of The Best of the Best Culinary Awards, co-organized by the Hong Kong Tourist Board and The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Ltd. The event showcases the cooking talent of local Chinese chefs and in the years since its inception has grown into Hong Kong’s largest culinary event. Ten finalists from September’s preliminary competition will be competing for the awards in the final competitions to be held on Oct. 4-5. The winning restaurants and their dishes are a great guide to the best in Chinese cuisine in Hong Kong. When October arrives, thoughts turn towards Halloween as parties are planned and costumes created. Hong Kong is the perfect place to mark this occasion as this is a region with thousands of years of folklore populated with ghosts, ghouls and demons. Disneyland, Madame Tussauds, Discovery Harbour, the Avenue of Stars and spooky Ocean Park will all be getting into the spine-chilling mood as etiquette is forgotten and party-time rules. After all that excitement it will be time to relax over a wonderful meal and what better occasion that at Hong Kong’s Wine & Dine Festival, due to take place from Nov. 1-4. In fact, this festival will extend throughout the Hong Kong Wine & Dine month of November with street carnivals, the Festival of Restaurants and wine-and-dine promotions. The city’s top restaurants will share their finest offerings, while for those still in a party mood, the Lan Kwai Fong Carnival (Nov. 17-18) will bring together not only food and beer stalls but also arts and crafts, dancers and musicians and other live performers from around the world. And for visitors who miss those dates, a World of Food and Music festival will take place Nov. 24-25 in popular, beach-side Stanley. For more, go to http://www.DiscoverHongKong.com/ca .