Hong Kong police urge revellers to avoid packed Lan Kwai Fong on Halloween weekend
Hong Kong police said Lan Kwai Fong was very crowded on the Halloween weekend and advised revellers to consider celebrating elsewhere. The Lan Kwai Fong Association said the atmosphere was unexpectedly good and the busiest in recent years, expecting a 50 per cent increase in turnover.
Hong Kong police said the Lan Kwai Fong area in Central was very crowded on the evening of 31 October, the Halloween weekend, and urged revellers to consider moving to other districts to celebrate. Many streets nearby had been turned into pedestrian zones with one-way crowd control, and a large number of officers were on site maintaining order, using loudspeakers to ask people to keep moving forward and not to stop for photographs. The police also posted on social media that the area was very congested and advised the public to go elsewhere.
Many tourists and local residents had dressed up in various costumes to enjoy the Halloween atmosphere in Lan Kwai Fong, and bars were packed with people. A Shenzhen visitor said there were no Halloween activities on the mainland, so she had taken a high-speed train to Hong Kong specially for the occasion, and found the atmosphere very good. A Hong Kong resident who is a photography enthusiast said Lan Kwai Fong allowed him not only to experience the Halloween vibe but also to take pictures of all kinds of costumes.
The Lan Kwai Fong Association said the atmosphere this year was better than expected and a pleasant surprise, describing it as the busiest in recent years. It said it hoped turnover on the day would increase by about 50 per cent.