The Year of the Horse night parade lights up Tsim Sha Tsui as locals and tourists pour into the streets for one of Asia’s great festive spectacles
The Streets Come Alive
On the evening of February 17, 2026, Tsim Sha Tsui became the stage for one of Hong Kong’s most anticipated annual events: the international night parade marking the beginning of the Year of the Horse. The streets along the parade route filled with thousands of residents and tourists, drawn by the floats, the performances, the noise, and the shared electricity of a city celebrating together. This year’s parade featured twelve floats and performing groups from multiple countries and regions, creating what organisers described as a global party rooted in local tradition.
A Double Dragon and a Mechanical Dinosaur
The memorable centrepiece of the 2026 parade was an unlikely but joyful collaboration: Italy’s Cromosauro — a performing arts group that tours with a mechanically animated dinosaur standing over five metres tall and seven metres long — joined with China’s luminous dragon performers and the Hong Kong Chinese Martial Arts Dragon and Lion Dance Association to produce what has been described as a “double dragon dance.” The image of an Italian giant dinosaur performing alongside a Chinese luminous dragon in the streets of Hong Kong is, in its own way, a perfect encapsulation of what the city is at its best: a place where the traditions of the East and the creativity of the West collide in productive, joyful spectacle.
Tourism on the Rise
The 2026 parade took place against a backdrop of recovering tourism. Hong Kong welcomed nearly 50 million visitor trips in 2025, up 12 percent from the previous year. The Lunar New Year period is one of the city’s peak tourism windows, and the government has made attracting international visitors a strategic priority. Chief Executive John Lee attended the parade’s opening ceremony, pledging to promote Hong Kong’s “unique charm” to global travellers and to develop the city as a top-tier destination. Tourism receipts are a meaningful component of the Hong Kong economy, and the year-on-year improvement in visitor numbers is welcomed by the city’s hotels, restaurants, retail sector, and transportation operators.
Celebration as Identity
The Lunar New Year parade is more than a tourism draw. For Hongkongers, it is an expression of identity — a moment when the city’s cultural self-image, rooted in Cantonese tradition but outward-facing and international in character, is most vividly on display. The parade route through Tsim Sha Tsui, along a waterfront that looks out toward Hong Kong Island’s extraordinary skyline, places the celebration in a setting that is unmistakably, irreplaceably Hong Kong. The “international” character of the parade — its inclusion of groups from across the world — reflects the city’s historic role as a meeting point for cultures, a place where global influence has always flowed in and out. That openness, that cosmopolitan instinct, is one of Hong Kong’s most valuable and most threatened assets.
The Horse and What It Carries
The Horse, in the Chinese zodiac, carries associations of strength, speed, perseverance, and freedom. It is an active, outward-facing sign — associated with movement, ambition, and the open road. As a symbol for Hong Kong in 2026, the Horse year offers both inspiration and irony. The city’s people have always demonstrated the Horse’s qualities: extraordinary industriousness, adaptability, and a drive to connect beyond borders. The question that hangs over the Year of the Horse is whether Hong Kong will be permitted to run freely, or whether the enclosures that have tightened around its civic life since 2020 will continue to constrain that essential spirit. For now, the parade lights blaze, the drums beat, and the city dances. And in that dancing there is, at minimum, defiance. For more on Hong Kong’s Lunar New Year events and the city’s tourism offering, see Discover Hong Kong. The cultural history of the Lunar New Year parade is documented by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Chinese zodiac symbolism for the Year of the Horse is explored at China Highlights, and the political context of Hong Kong’s celebrations is tracked by Human Rights Watch.
Jessica Lam
Politics & Diaspora Affairs Journalist, Apple Daily UK
Contact: jessica.lam@appledaily.uk
Jessica Lam is a politics and diaspora affairs journalist with specialized expertise in Hong Kong governance, overseas Chinese communities, and democratic movements. Educated at a leading UK journalism institution, she received advanced training in political reporting, international law basics, and source protection, equipping her for complex cross-border coverage.
Jessica has worked with Apple Daily and other liberal Chinese publications, reporting on electoral systems, civic participation, protest movements, and policy developments affecting the Chinese diaspora. Her work demonstrates strong command of political context and an ability to translate complex issues into accessible, fact-driven journalism.
She brings real-world newsroom experience in covering time-sensitive political developments while maintaining strict verification standards. Jessica regularly works with primary documents, expert interviews, and multiple independent sources to ensure balanced and accurate reporting.
Her authority is reinforced by consistent publication within established news organizations and by adherence to editorial review processes. She is known for transparent attribution and for distinguishing clearly between reporting and analysis.
Jessica Lam’s journalism reflects professional experience, subject-matter expertise, and a strong ethical foundation. At Apple Daily UK, she contributes trusted political coverage that serves readers seeking independent and credible information.
