Hong Kong marks National Day with fireworks, while city leader points to ‘critical period of economic transformation’

Hong Kong celebrated National Day with a thunderous fireworks show that drew hundreds of thousands of revellers to the harbourfront on Tuesday night, while the city’s leader earlier urged residents to “seek change” during a critical point of economic transformation in his speech marking the occasion.

More than 330,000 people packed the sides of Victoria Harbour to watch the fireworks show, which included nods to the latest additions to the city’s panda family. But a drone show scheduled to kick off the celebrations was cancelled at the last minute due to GPS signal interference caused by solar activity. Another celebratory drone show was axed on Monday for the same reason.

Authorities put together a record-breaking line-up of more than 400 events to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Locals and tourists were also treated to half-priced film tickets and discounts at more than 3,600 dining and retail outlets, as well as free rides on trams and the Star Ferry.

After attending a flag-raising ceremony in the morning, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu delivered a speech on the city’s future.

“Hong Kong is in a critical period of economic transformation,” Lee said at a reception attended by local and Beijing officials, as well as representatives of different sectors.

“We must adapt to our circumstances, continuously reform, recognise and seek change, break through bottlenecks, address shortcomings and remove obstacles while consolidating and enhancing Hong Kong’s advantages.”