Hong Kong 2026-27 budget: ‘Symphony of Lights’ to go dark under tourism revamp

Hong Kong will cancel the two-decade-old “A Symphony of Lights” within the year, with the South China Morning Post learning that the fixture will be replaced with immersive projections across various districts to upgrade the city’s offerings.The revamp is among a raft of new tourism measures announced in finance chief Paul Chan Mo-po’s latest budget, with others including a push for Hong Kong to become a destination for study tours and a HK$200 million (US$25.6 million) fund to revitalise rural villages.The blueprint also earmarked HK$1.2 billion for the sports sector to “further promote sports development”.Chan revealed on Wednesday that the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) would receive HK$1.66 billion in funding – a 35 per cent increase from the previous year.“Building on the success of last year’s ‘Immersive Light Show in Central’ featuring spectacular 3D light shows, the HKTB will launch a brand new show with the theme of light festivals across various locations at different times of the year to replace A Symphony of Lights,” Chan said.He was referring to light projections concentrated around the Statue Square Gardens over the Christmas and New Year periods.