Hong Kong Holidays & Festivals — October 2026
October is one of Hong Kong's best travel months. The summer humidity fades, skies stay mostly clear, and the city moves straight from Mid-Autumn lanterns into a run of holidays, harbourfront festivals, and Halloween parties. Here's what's on the calendar, and what each date actually means if you're visiting.
What each date means
October 1 — Public Holiday
National Day
National Day marks the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, and it's one of Hong Kong's 17 general holidays. Expect a fireworks display over Victoria Harbour in the evening, flag-raising ceremonies in the morning, and noticeably heavier crowds at border checkpoints and major attractions, since it kicks off Mainland China's "Golden Week" travel period.
October 11 — Citywide Event
Hong Kong Cyclothon
Not a public holiday, but worth knowing about if you're getting around by road that day. The Cyclothon closes off sections of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon for the city's largest annual cycling event, taking riders past Victoria Harbour, Central, and other landmark routes not normally open to bikes.
October 18 — Public Holiday
Chung Yeung Festival
Also called the Double Ninth Festival, Chung Yeung falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. Traditionally, families climb hills or mountains, visit and tend to ancestral graves, and eat chongyang cake. Because it lands on a Sunday in 2026, the following Monday (October 19) is observed as a substituted public holiday, so expect hiking trails like Victoria Peak and Lion Rock to be busier than usual on both days.
October 29 – November 1 — Festival
Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival
The Central Harbourfront turns into an open-air food and wine event, with booths from local restaurants, Michelin-starred kitchens, and wineries from around the world, plus live music against the Victoria Harbour skyline. It's the opening act for "Wine & Dine Month," which continues through November with special menus at restaurants and bars across the city.
October 31 — Festival
Halloween in Hong Kong
Halloween isn't a traditional Hong Kong holiday, but the city has adopted it enthusiastically. Lan Kwai Fong fills with costumed crowds, Ocean Park and Disneyland run seasonal haunted attractions through the month, and 2026 brings Hong Kong's first citywide Halloween celebration, spreading the festivities beyond the usual nightlife districts.
Make the most of your October visit
With National Day crowds, Chung Yeung hikers, and Wine & Dine festival-goers all sharing the city this month, a bit of local know-how goes a long way. A private tour with one of our Hong Kong guides means you can time the big sights around the busy dates above, skip the parts of the city that get overrun, and still catch the festival energy where it's worth catching. And if a few hours isn't enough, our guides are happy to help you build out a longer itinerary, whether that's a food crawl through a neighbourhood you haven't tried yet, a day trip to one of the outlying islands, or simply more time exploring at your own pace.