Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival in Shenzhen and beyond

This year's Mid-Autumn Festival brings a packed slate of free events across Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macao, from Michelin-starred dining and craft beer to lantern displays and dragon dances. Here is a guide to the celebrations, most of which require no tickets or reservations.

Michelin Guide food festival

The Michelin Guide food festival returns for the Mid-Autumn holiday. Organizers have teased star-rated restaurants, live cooking by star chefs, day and night experiences in a landscape setting, interactive light-and-shadow performances, and intangible cultural heritage aesthetics paired with Mid-Autumn traditions.

Photos from the event organizers

Admission: Free, reservation required

Dates: Sept. 25-27

Location: MixC Street, The MixC, Luohu District

Metro: Line 1, 2 or 5 to Grand Theater Station (大剧院站), Exit F

Women's tennis

The 2026 Billie Jean King Cup Finals is taking place Sept. 22-27 at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center Gymnasium, where China's top women players host seven of the world's leading national teams, including Italy, the Czech Republic and Spain, in pursuit of the sport's highest team honor.

As the opening event of the 2026 China tennis season, the Shenzhen finals features Grand Slam champions, Olympic medalists and top-ranked players including Zheng Qinwen, Elena Rybakina, Karolina Muchova, Linda Noskova, Zhang Shuai and Jasmine Paolini.

Tickets and the full match schedule are available on the event's official ticketing platform.

Dates: Sept. 22-27

Venue: Shenzhen Bay Sports Center Gymnasium, Nanshan District

Metro: Line 2, 11 or 13 to Houhai Station (后海站), Exit M or H

GBA craft beer festival

This festival brings together more than 80 craft beers, with stamp-collection challenges, lucky draws and live music.

Admission: Free, no reservation required; drinks paid separately

Time: 4-9 p.m., Sept. 25-27

Location: G/F, West Plaza, Link CentralWalk, Futian District

Metro: Line 1 or 4 to Convention & Exhibition Center Station (会展中心站), Exit B

Shenzhen Sweet Soup Festival

The festival covers Cantonese sweet soups, Hong Kong-style desserts, Chaoshan sweet soups, Guangxi ice desserts and Guizhou ice paste. 

Admission: Free, no reservation required; food paid separately

Time: 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sept. 24-27

Location: Prince Bay Garden City Villa, Nanshan District

Metro: Line 2 or 12 to Sea World Station (海上世界站)

Lantern and moon worship ceremony

Bao'an Rainbow Shopping Center will host a flower deity parade, a lantern-lit moon worship ceremony, an intangible heritage dance show, a runway show, lantern blessing activities and an intangible heritage lantern performance.

Admission: Free, no reservation required

Time: 4 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Sept. 25

Location: Bao'an Rainbow Shopping Center, Bao'an District

Metro: Line 1 to Xixiang Station (西乡站), Exit A

Free light shows

Shenzhen Talent Park 

Time: 7:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Sept. 25-27

Metro: Line 13 to Talent Park Station (人才公园站), Exit B; walk about 200 meters to the park's north gate and cultural plaza

OH Bay

A light-and-water show with a musical fountain.

Musical fountain: 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. (15 minutes each), Sept. 25-27

Light-and-water show: 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. (15 minutes each), Sept. 25-27

Metro: Line 5 to Linhai Station (临海站), Exit B2

Guanlan Ancient Market

A light projection show on ancient and historic building walls.

Time: 7:30-8:40 p.m., Sept. 25-27

Metro: Line 4 to Guanlan Station (观澜站), Exit B

Mid-Autumn concert 

"FUSICIANZ Mid-Autumn Festival Concert" blends Bach with Cantonese nursery rhymes, "Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon" with pop rhythms, and guzheng, sheng and erhu with electric guitar, bass and synthesizers, adding jazz, rock, electronic and Chinese pop influences.

Time: 7:30 p.m., Sept. 24

Location: Shenzhen Concert Hall, Futian District

Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children's Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D

Hong Kong Mid-Autumn lantern carnivals

The International Lantern Spectacular in Hong Kong includes themed lantern displays, activities and intangible cultural heritage elements such as traditional lantern crafting. Events are divided into the lantern carnival and the light installation.

Dates: Mid-Autumn lantern carnival: Sept. 17-27; Mid-Autumn light installations: Sept. 17-Oct. 11

Locations: Lantern carnival: Victoria Park, Hong Kong; Light installations: Hong Kong Cultural Center Piazza

Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance

The Tai Hang Fire Dragon measures about 67 meters and is carried by more than 300 performers. Its body is studded with more than 12,000 incense sticks. The dance will be performed for three nights. On Mid-Autumn Day (Sept. 25), the fire dragon may also parade into Victoria Park at around 10:30 p.m., connecting the two major celebrations. 

On the night of Sept. 26, after parading through the Tai Hang community, the dragon will undergo a "returning to heaven" ceremony and be sent into the waters off Causeway Bay, symbolizing the removal of misfortune and a new beginning.

Time: 8:15-10:30 p.m., Sept. 24-26

Location: Tai Hang, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. The best viewing spot is Wun Sha Street

Macao fireworks display

The 34th Macao International Fireworks Display Contest is scheduled for five nights: Sept. 12, Sept. 19, Sept. 25, Oct. 1 and Oct. 4. The displays will take place over the waters near Macao Tower. Each performance night features two 18-minute shows, beginning at 9 p.m. and 9:40 p.m., respectively. 

Best viewing spots: Sun Yat-sen Avenue, Macao Science Center Seawall, Sagres Avenue, Nam Van Lake Cybernetic Pavilion, and Lakeside Road (in Macao); Shizimen Beach, the area near Hengqin IFC Tower, and Jialin Mountain (in Zhuhai and Hengqin)