Last verified: 15 Sept 2026

Golden Week 2026 in Hong Kong: Dates, Crowds and What to Expect

Hong Kong doesn't get Golden Week off. Mainland China's Golden Week runs from Thursday, October 1 to Wednesday, October 7 – but in Hong Kong only National Day, Thursday, October 1, is a public holiday. The city is still one of the top destinations for mainland holidaymakers: during Golden Week 2025, more than 1.4 million mainland visitors came, over 230,000 on October 1 alone.

Should you go? If you can move your dates, arrive from Thursday, October 8 – same autumn weather, normal hotel prices. If your dates are fixed, it works fine: Hong Kong runs normally throughout, it's just full. Book your hotel now (occupancy hit 90 percent in 2025), plan around the peak days October 1–4, and avoid crossing the border on October 1.

Mainland Golden Week: October 1–7; Thursday to Wednesday, 7 days off
Public holidays in Hong Kong: Sat, Sep 26 · Thu, Oct 1; day after Mid-Autumn · National Day
National Day fireworks: Oct 1, 20:00; about 23 minutes over Victoria Harbour
Busiest day: Thu, Oct 1; 2025: over 230,000 mainland arrivals

① Hong Kong Around Golden Week 2026, Day by Day

Three weeks from the Mid-Autumn Festival to the quiet days after Golden Week. The color shows how busy we expect Hong Kong to be; the tags show which days are off in Hong Kong and on the mainland – the two calendars are completely separate.

Crowds in Hong Kong (our assessment)

Normal demand
Slightly increased crowds possible
Increased crowds possible
High crowds expected
Very high crowds expected

HKpublic holiday in Hong Kong
CNpublic holiday on the mainland
CN workmainland makeup workday

Monday, September 21, 2026: Normal demand
Tuesday, September 22, 2026: Normal demand
Wednesday, September 23, 2026: Normal demand
Thursday, September 24, 2026: Increased crowds possible – Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance
Friday, September 25, 2026: Increased crowds possible – public holiday on the mainland, Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance
Saturday, September 26, 2026: Increased crowds possible – public holiday in Hong Kong, public holiday on the mainland, Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance
Sunday, September 27, 2026: Increased crowds possible – public holiday on the mainland
Monday, September 28, 2026: Normal demand
Tuesday, September 29, 2026: Normal demand
Wednesday, September 30, 2026: Slightly increased crowds possible
Thursday, October 1, 2026: Very high crowds expected – public holiday in Hong Kong, public holiday on the mainland, National Day Fireworks over Victoria Harbour
Friday, October 2, 2026: High crowds expected – public holiday on the mainland
Saturday, October 3, 2026: High crowds expected – public holiday on the mainland
Sunday, October 4, 2026: High crowds expected – public holiday on the mainland
Monday, October 5, 2026: Increased crowds possible – public holiday on the mainland
Tuesday, October 6, 2026: Increased crowds possible – public holiday on the mainland
Wednesday, October 7, 2026: Increased crowds possible – public holiday on the mainland
Thursday, October 8, 2026: Normal demand
Friday, October 9, 2026: Normal demand
Saturday, October 10, 2026: Normal demand – mainland makeup workday
Sunday, October 11, 2026: Normal demand

Day by day: what to expect in Hong Kong

Dates	Phase	Crowds	What to expect
Mon, Sep 21 – Wed, Sep 23	Normal workdays	Normal demand	Business as usual. The Mid-Autumn lanterns in Victoria Park are already lit in the evenings (from September 17), but the city is not yet busy.
Thu, Sep 24 – Sun, Sep 27	Mid-Autumn Festival	Increased crowds possible	Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance on three evenings (Thursday to Saturday), Mid-Autumn night on Friday, and Saturday is a Hong Kong public holiday. The mainland has a separate three-day Mid-Autumn holiday (Friday to Sunday), so short-trip visitors arrive too. Busy in the evenings around Causeway Bay and Victoria Park, otherwise manageable.
Mon, Sep 28 – Tue, Sep 29	Quiet before the rush	Normal demand	Regular workdays in Hong Kong and on the mainland. A good window to arrive, check in and book anything you want to do during the holiday week.
Wed, Sep 30	Eve of National Day	Slightly increased crowds possible	The last mainland workday before the holiday. Arrivals from the mainland pick up from the afternoon; hotel rates for the following nights are usually already high.
Thu, Oct 1	National Day – busiest day	Very high crowds expected	Public holiday in Hong Kong and first day of the mainland Golden Week. On October 1, 2025, more than 230,000 mainland visitors arrived – the peak of the holiday. In the evening, the fireworks over Victoria Harbour (20:00) fill both waterfronts; crowd control applies on the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade.
Fri, Oct 2 – Sun, Oct 4	High season in the city	High crowds expected	In 2025, more than 200,000 mainland visitors arrived every day from October 1 to 4. Friday is a regular workday in Hong Kong; on the weekend (October 3–4) local crowds add to the visitors. Shopping streets, theme parks and the Peak are at their fullest.
Mon, Oct 5 – Wed, Oct 7	Second half of the week	Increased crowds possible	In 2025, daily mainland arrivals dropped to around 150,000 and below in the second half of the holiday. Attractions ease off; the border crossings get busy again as visitors head home before the mainland returns to work.
Thu, Oct 8 – Sun, Oct 11	Back to normal	Normal demand	October 8 is the first workday on the mainland again, and Saturday, October 10, is a mainland makeup workday – so this weekend sees fewer mainland visitors than usual. Hotel prices drop back.

The daily crowd levels for Hong Kong are our own editorial assessment, based on the Hong Kong government's visitor figures for Golden Week 2025 and the 2026 holiday and event calendar – not measured occupancy and not an official forecast.

② How Busy Hong Kong Gets During Golden Week

The Hong Kong government publishes visitor figures after every Golden Week. In 2025 the holiday lasted 8 days (October 1–8), because Mid-Autumn was merged into it. In 2026 Golden Week is back to 7 days, and Mid-Autumn comes a week earlier (September 25–27) – so there are two smaller waves instead of one long one.

Visitor arrivals, Golden Week 2025: 1.64 million; in 8 days, over 1.4 million of them from the mainland
Mainland arrivals on October 1, 2025: 230,000+; the peak day; over 200,000 a day until October 4
Hotel occupancy, Golden Week 2025: about 90%; overall, according to the Hong Kong government

The trend is up. The most recent Golden Week – Labour Day, May 1–5, 2026 – brought 1.19 million visitors to Hong Kong (8 percent more than a year earlier), including 1.01 million from the mainland (+10 percent). Hotels were again about 90 percent full. For October, plan with at least as many visitors as in 2025.

Where the crowds go (our assessment): the shopping streets of Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok and Causeway Bay, the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, the Peak, and the theme parks. Hong Kong Disneyland has used date-based price tiers since 2023, with the top tier for the busiest days – check the park's own price calendar for your date. Quieter options: hiking trails, outlying islands on weekdays, and neighborhoods away from the harbour.

The government usually publishes its passenger forecast for the holiday a few days in advance (for 2025 on September 29). We'll add the 2026 forecast here once it is out.

③ Fireworks, Fire Dragon and Lanterns: The Dates for 2026

Three free events draw the biggest crowds of the season. The fireworks are on National Day itself; the fire dragon and the lanterns belong to Mid-Autumn, a week before Golden Week.

Thursday, October 1

National Day Fireworks over Victoria Harbour 國慶煙花匯演

When: 20:00, about 23 minutes
Where: Victoria Harbour – best seen from Tsim Sha Tsui, Wan Chai, Central and the Mid-Levels

31,888 shells from nine firing points, theme "Eternal Radiance". In 2025 the show drew more than 340,000 spectators, and the government ran special crowd management on the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade.

Tip: Waterfront spots fill up hours before 20:00. If you don't need the front row, a view from higher ground or a restaurant booked well ahead is far more relaxed. Getting away afterwards takes time – the MTR stations near the harbour are packed.

Source: South China Morning Post: 23-minute National Day fireworks show (September 2, 2026) · HKSAR Government: National Day Fireworks Display 2025 – viewing areas and crowd management

Thu, Sep 24 – Sat, Sep 26

Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance 大坑舞火龍

When: evenings, about 20:15–22:30
Where: Tai Hang, Causeway Bay (Wun Sha Street to Tung Lo Wan Road)

A 67-metre dragon studded with around 12,000 burning incense sticks winds through Tai Hang's lanes – listed as national intangible cultural heritage. Free. In 2025 it drew more than 100,000 spectators.

Tip: The lanes are narrow – arrive early and expect to stand.

Source: U Lifestyle: Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance 2026 – dates, times and route (Chinese)

Thu, Sep 17 – Sun, Sep 27

Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival, Victoria Park 中秋綵燈會

When: 18:30–23:00, until midnight on Mid-Autumn night (September 25)
Where: Victoria Park, Causeway Bay

Free lantern displays run by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Temporary crowd control is used when it gets full. The lantern carnivals had more than 380,000 visitors over the 2025 holiday.

Source: The Standard: Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival to light up Victoria Park in September (August 20, 2026)

Visitor numbers for 2025 are from the Hong Kong government's Golden Week summary. Events can be changed or cancelled at short notice in bad weather.

④ Crossing the Border and Taking the Train During Golden Week

The busiest crossings. During Golden Week 2025, most mainland visitors arrived via the Express Rail Link West Kowloon station (high-speed rail), followed by the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line. For the May 2026 Golden Week, the government expected Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line and Shenzhen Bay to be the busiest land crossings. Mainland visitors come in at the start of the week and go home in the second half, so crossings are busiest around October 1 and again towards October 7.

High-speed rail from West Kowloon. Tickets are sold on 12306 15 days ahead, counting the travel day, until 30 minutes before departure. For trains on October 1 that means sales open on Thursday, September 17. Popular trains on the first holiday days sell out fast; foreign passports can be registered on the English 12306 site – do it before sales open. More on sale times and waitlists: Golden Week train tickets.

Check waiting times before you go

The government's "Easy Boundary" platform and the HKeMobility app show the current situation at the land crossings and on the connecting transport. Travel outside peak hours if you can; cross-boundary coach tickets should be booked in advance.

Two sets of visa rules

Hong Kong has its own immigration. Citizens of Germany, Austria and Switzerland can stay up to 90 days without a visa (HKETO Berlin; other nationalities: Immigration Department). Crossing to Shenzhen means entering mainland China, with mainland rules: China visa check by nationality.

⑤ Hong Kong Weather in Early October

October is one of Hong Kong's more pleasant months: on average 28.1 °C by day and 23.9 °C at night, 73 percent humidity, and 120 mm of rain on about 8 days – compared with 321 mm in September (Hong Kong Observatory, 1991–2020 averages).

Typhoons are still possible. In 2025, Tropical Cyclone Matmo approached Hong Kong on the Golden Week weekend and an outdoor festival was postponed. Check the Hong Kong Observatory forecast in the days before you travel; outdoor events and ferries depend on the tropical cyclone signals.

⑥ Should You Visit Hong Kong During Golden Week?

Short answer: it's busy, not a reason to cancel. Daily life in Hong Kong runs normally – only one day is a holiday for locals. If your trip combines Hong Kong with the mainland, Golden Week hits the mainland harder: there, trains and big sights with daily caps are the bottleneck (Golden Week 2026 in mainland China).

For going

The National Day fireworks on Oct 1
Mid-Autumn a week earlier: fire dragon and lanterns
Drier and cooler than September
Shops, transport and offices work normally except on Oct 1

Against going

Hotels around 90 percent full – higher prices, less choice
Long queues at border crossings around October 1
Crowded shopping streets, Peak and theme parks
High-speed trains to the mainland sell out

⑦ Living in Hong Kong: What Golden Week Means for You

One day off, not seven

Hong Kong's statutory holidays are set separately from the mainland's: Thursday, October 1 is off, Friday, October 2 is a normal workday. Schools set their own calendars. All Hong Kong holidays of the year: regional holidays 2026.

Going north that week?

Shenzhen, Guangzhou and every well-known sight on the mainland are full of holidaymakers from Oct 1 to Oct 7, and most big sights need a real-name reservation with a daily cap. A weekend in Shenzhen is easier before Sep 25 or after Oct 7.

Macau: two days off

Macau has 2 days off for National Day (October 1–2) and is just as popular with mainland visitors – expect the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge and the ferries to be busy.

Chung Yeung long weekend

Chung Yeung falls on a Sunday in 2026, so Monday, October 19 is a Hong Kong public holiday. That long weekend, after the mainland is back at work, is a good time for your own short trip.

FAQ

Is Golden Week a holiday in Hong Kong?

No. Golden Week is a mainland holiday. Of its 7 days (Thursday, October 1 to Wednesday, October 7), only Thursday, October 1 – National Day – is a public holiday in Hong Kong. Offices, banks and government services open as normal on Friday, October 2.

When is Golden Week 2026?

Mainland China's National Day Golden Week runs from Thursday, October 1 to Wednesday, October 7. It is preceded by a separate Mid-Autumn holiday on the mainland (September 25–27). Hong Kong has its own public holidays in this period: Saturday, September 26 and Thursday, October 1.

Is Hong Kong crowded during Golden Week?

Yes, especially in the first days. During the 8-day Golden Week 2025, Hong Kong recorded around 1.64 million visitor arrivals, over 1.4 million of them from the mainland. The peak was October 1 with more than 230,000 mainland arrivals, and hotel occupancy reached about 90 percent.

What time are the National Day fireworks in Hong Kong in 2026?

Thursday, October 1, at 20:00 over Victoria Harbour, for about 23 minutes. Good viewing areas are Tsim Sha Tsui, Wan Chai, Central and the Mid-Levels. The waterfront fills up hours in advance.

What is the best time to visit Hong Kong around Golden Week?

If you can choose, arrive from Thursday, October 8: the mainland is back at work, and Saturday, October 10 is a mainland makeup workday, so that weekend is quieter than usual. Within the holiday week, October 5–7 are calmer than October 1–4.

Can I take the high-speed train from Hong Kong to the mainland during Golden Week?

Yes, from West Kowloon station. Tickets are sold on 12306 15 days ahead (counting the travel day) until 30 minutes before departure – tickets for October 1 go on sale on Thursday, September 17. Popular trains on the first holiday days sell out quickly, so book the day sales open.

Do I need a visa for Hong Kong?

Hong Kong has its own immigration rules, separate from the mainland. Citizens of Germany, Austria and Switzerland can stay up to 90 days without a visa; other nationalities should check the Hong Kong Immigration Department. Crossing into Shenzhen means entering mainland China, where the mainland's visa rules apply.

Is Hong Kong also busy during the Chung Yeung holiday?

Chung Yeung falls on a Sunday in 2026, so Monday, October 19 is a public holiday in Hong Kong – a long weekend for residents, not for the mainland. That's more of an outbound travel weekend for Hong Kong people than a visitor peak.