The week-long lantern carnival in Victoria Park opened its doors on Thursday, with Mid-Autumn Festival just round the corner. It is one of three carnivals to mark the festival this year, with the other two held in Tsing Yi Park and Cultural Centre Plaza in Tsim Sha Tsui. One of the highlights of the Causeway Bay edition – themed "Charm in the Air: Chinese Style, Hong Kong Flair" – is a 12-metre tall lantern display that is based on the Tang suit and qipao. Lantern designer Leo Tang revealed it took him about three months to come up with the design. "This is because such a tall installation has never been placed in Victoria Park, that's why I would prioritise safety first." He added that he put a lot of effort in featuring local cuisine in his design, which included a char-siu rice lantern with local street-food stalls as a backdrop. Another giant lantern "Phoenix Dancing with the Full Moon to Celebrate the National Day” was created by veteran local paper craftsman Hui Ka-hung. "Two days ago, we were still worried whether the installation could spin and light up," he said. "We've been stuck on the issue for so long, and we're really happy after we managed to solve the problem." Chris Chan, Community Programmes Manager at the Leisure and Cultural Services Department said revellers should not miss out on the 7.5-metre tall installation named “The Tree of Budding Creativity”. "There are actually 750 lanterns created by students, and they are from primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong," he said. "Basically they have their own creativity on how to celebrate the National Day and also how to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival." Like last year, the Tai Hang Fire Dragon will join the crowd at Victoria Park on Mid-Autumn Festival next Tuesday at 10.30pm. On the same day, all lanterns at the park will be lit until midnight.
