Tai O Water Village Lantern Festival suspends due to heavy footfall

The organiser of the Tai O Water Village Lantern Festival has decided to suspend it on certain days due to heavy footfall, making room for residents in the fishing village to go home and unite with families. 

On Sunday, the organiser “Tai O Fei Mao Li” said the influx of visitors had severely impacted Tai O residents' daily lives, it had decided to suspend the illumination on four days, including the Mid-Autumn Festival and its following day, as well as 27 and 28 September. On its Facebook page, the organiser said there will be no lights on the Mid-Autumn Festival and the day after to make some space for those who need to go back to Tai O to spend the festival and reunite with their families.

To help alleviate the situation in the crowded island, the organiser also said handcrafted lanterns on Sun Ki Bridge and Tai O Creek Pedestrian Bridge will stop illuminating. Only lanterns at three places will keep delighting visitors on upcoming days.  

As one of Hong Kong's most famous celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Lantern Festival has been highly welcomed by visitors in the city. However, according to the South China Morning Post, the Police had to control crowds in the village to stop visitors entering Tai O Market Street. Moreover, long queues were seen at bus stops across Lantau lsland and they had reportedly to wait for hours just to hop on a bus. 

The organiser said citizens who are keen to see the lanterns can still visit the village on quieter days, inclusing 20, 23 to 26, as well as 29 and 30 September from 6:30 pm to 9 pm. 

“Tai O Fei Mao Li” said this year's event boasts a total of 2,500 handcraft lanterns created by communities from across Hong Kong. A lot of families were invited to create a lantern and they are welcomed to come to Tai O to find out where their lantern is during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The lanterns are hanged across streets, stores and stilt houses and fishing boats in Tai O, creating a festive vibe for residents on the island and visitors. 

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