Tsim Sha Tsui's Symphony Of Lights, et al...

May 14, 2023

Tsim Sha Tsui, popularly known as TST, located in the southern part of Kowloon District, is undeniably the best place for city nightlife, luxury shopping, fancy dining, exploring historical places and museums, watching live performances and cultural shows, and has the most iconic view of Hong Kong's Harbour. That explains why this is a perfect spot for daytime and nighttime strolling.

Among all its tourist destinations, the most popular is the promenade along Victoria Harbour, which offers an iconic view of Hong Kong's skyscrapers and harbor front. There is plenty to see in this neighborhood, not just the beautiful harbor view. It's the busiest city, not just during the day but also at night. And before people bid goodbye to TST at night, an amazing light show is what they are waiting for.

For today's travel blog, I'll show you Tsim Sha Tsui's Symphony Of Lights, Streets Performances, and Aqualuna

As dusk falls, the promenade will be transformed into a beauty to behold. Whether it is day or night, there are a lot of sights to see, especially along the promenade. This is where people usually spend much of their time wandering and strolling, watching different street performances, and waiting for the Symphony of Lights at night.

This is the iconic Central skyline that can be seen from the promenade of TST.

Part of the attraction here is the variety of street performances. Wherever you go in Hong Kong, you will see performers making the street livelier and more cultural. Performers are not just local Chinese residents but even foreign residents. The government allowed such street activities because that's another way of promoting the city. Besides, they are truly attractions worth watching.

There are a lot of talented local and foreign artists here, and the streets are their way of showcasing their skills and promoting their original and unique ideas and talents. There are street dancers, local bands, soloists, painters, human statues, and others showing their artwork and talents that attract passersby.

Street Dance Performers

For instance, this foreign couple performed an acrobatic dance the last time I visited the TST promenade. The performance was held in front of the massive screen, showing different Hong Kong scenes, news, advertisements, movie scenes, and other attractions. Such served as their distinct backdrop. Alongside was the music of their choice, which made the audience more lively.

Their performance attracted kids as well. You can see those adorable girls watching them up close, as if curious about what they were doing, or probably wishing to dance like them as well.

This isn't just their way of showcasing their skills, but also of raising funds for their own expenses. So if you have a talent and visit Hong Kong, don't hesitate to perform on the street. And if you opened a box, you would definitely go home with a ton of pennies.

You can check the video to see their acrobatic dance performance.

Solo or Band Singers

Meanwhile, this young teen showcased his singing skills. Along with some covers of popular English songs, he also promoted his own original songs. On the ground inside his guitar cover are some signature items and CD tapes containing his original songs. His voice is beautiful and has the potential to become more known in the future if he keeps promoting his skills and songs in the streets. Who knows? A passerby might discover his talent.

Just last Sunday, I went back to TST and saw more performers along the underpass. Some came in a group, while some were solo. There were even some who danced to the beat of the song sung by a local singer.

Human Statues

Have you ever seen human statues? You will definitely admire their effort in posing like real statues. It may look like an effortless pose, but it's not easy to freeze and not move while posing with the tourists. Can you even do it for a couple of minutes?

You can see a lot of human statues on different busy streets of Hong Kong. You can take photos with them and put some pennies in their boxes as a form of appreciation.

Mascots

I spotted one of the characters in Transformers while walking along the promenade. Kids are usually those who enjoy a lot when seeing such performers. There are different mascots you can see in different crowded parts of HK, usually at night. They are truly entertaining.

The Finale: Symphony of Lights

As the TST clock tower chimes at 8 in the evening, people will position themselves by the waterfront to witness one-of-a-kind Symphony of Lights. There are different viewing points to enjoy this show, but the TST promenade is the best spot.

Skylines around the harbor will be illuminated for this multi-media show. This is the top highlight of the evening.

Not just the visitors and skyscrapers will groove with the beat of Symphony of Lights music, but as well as the boats, ferries, and cruise ships strolling in glistening waters in Central and Victoria harbors. They would stay afloat in the center of the water to participate in the show. Ferries would glow in different neon colors along with the skyscrapers glowing lights and lasers.

As lights from different skyscrapers start to glow synchronously, people will take their phones out to record the spectacular night skyline show.

Upbeat music would play, and different buildings would join in synchronously, transforming the waterfront into a light and sound festival scene. People by the harbor and other viewing spots, of course, will groove to the beat of the music and light.

This light and sound show will last for more or less ten minutes. I wasn't sure, actually, because I took a pause in the middle while recording the Symphony of Lights show. But my videos show less than ten minutes of duration.

You can watch it in the video above. You would definitely enjoy the grooving music, along with the amazing light show. A big round of applause will be thrown by the visitors after the spectacular show.

Aqualuna

I must include another attraction along Victoria Harbor, the Aqualuna junk boats. This Aqualuna II is the very last Chinese junk boat in Hong Kong, along with the Aqualuna I. This offers a 45-minute cruise in Hong Kong harbors. The night is definitely the best time, especially during the Symphony of Lights show.

This iconic boat is made of wood and bamboo and is part of the Aqua Restaurant Group. Customers on board could have a chance to indulge in its nostalgic old dynasty setting and enjoy the sip of wines and cocktails, and delicious cuisine while enjoying the stunning view of the Hong Kong skyline.

Prices for the Harbor Cruise on Aqualuna start at 160 HKD for kids and 230 HKD for adults. It is definitely worth paying. Someday, I will definitely board this iconic pirate-like junk boat.

Here is a panoramic view of Victoria Harbor.

To enjoy this blog more, you can read it while watching things to do at Tsim Sha Tsui uploaded on 3Speak. The first part of the video is about my walk along Avenue of Stars which was posted on Wednesday Walk.

(Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong's Walk of Fame along TST Promenade)

It's another beautiful attraction in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Thanks for stopping by and see you in my next travel blog.

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