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A 20‑metre (66 feet) Christmas tree, absent from Central for several years, will return this festive season as the centrepiece of the annual winter festival, featuring a light show for the first time, the Hong Kong Tourism Board has announced. Hong Kong WinterFest, running from November 14 to January 4, would transform Statue Square Garden in Central into a Christmas town for locals and visitors alike, the board said on Friday. The tree, wrapped in ribbons, will be surrounded by toy-themed decorations such as spaceships, puppets and miniature trains. Live carol performances and surprise appearances by Santa Claus will also take place in the area. The inaugural light show will project three-dimensional festive animations with music onto eight iconic buildings in the Central Business District. Chater Road will be illuminated with light displays. A Christmas market with 12 chalets will open on November 28, offering seasonal food, festive gifts and workshops. “We hope this Winterfest will attract more overseas and mainland tourists, as there are some new elements such as the decorated Chater Road and the light show involving eight buildings in Central,” said Mason Hung Chung-hing, the Tourism Board’s advisor for event and product development. For the past four years, a 20-metre tree has been installed at the West Kowloon Cultural District, accompanied by stalls selling festive gifts and food, as well as musical performances. The Post has learned that the West Kowloon Cultural District will have its own arrangements for this year’s Christmas celebrations. Hung said Central had been chosen as the main festive hub this year due to its convenient transport links, proximity to entertainment, dining and shopping venues, and the unique potential to stage a light show incorporating several landmark buildings. From November 28, eight iconic buildings – the Bank of China Building, the Bank of China Tower, the Court of Final Appeal Building, the Hong Kong City Hall High Block, the Hong Kong Club Building, the HSBC Main Building, Prince’s Building and the Standard Chartered Bank Building – will for the first time be connected to form a massive canvas for an immersive light show. The show will take place every 30 minutes between 7.30pm and 10.30pm. The best viewing area will be on the south side of Statue Square Garden. More than 30 trees along Chater Road will also be illuminated, and a Christmas tree light installation will be set above the entrance to Chater House. The lights will be switched on daily at 5pm from late November. The event will also mark the debut of a partnership between the Tourism Board and Hongkong Land, the largest commercial landlord in Central. “This partnership is a powerful example of what can be achieved for the benefit of Hong Kong when the public and private sectors unite behind the shared vision,” said Michael Smith, chief executive of Hong Kong Land. “By transforming Central into a Christmas Town and a Starlight Boulevard, we are not just decorating our streets. We are activating the district.” Smith recalled that the display on Chater Road is a heritage tradition, as Hongkong Land first illuminated the street 60 years ago with the city’s earliest recorded festive lights.
