How to go there

From Man Mo Temple in Hollywood road, Jeff and I took a bus going to Wan Chai, then we walked going to the Golden Bauhenia Square. 

What to See

The Symphony of Lights show is basically just a showcase of  lights and laser displays from Hongkong’s buildings, accompanied by music and narration. There are designated areas for viewing the show – one in Golden Bauhenia Square, and the other in the Avenue of Stars. We watched the show from Bauhenia Square.

The Golden Bauhenia flower from the Bauhenia Square

We arrived in Bauhenia Square at about past 6, too early for the 8pm show. But still in time for me to pee, hehe. We went inside the building in front of the Golden Bauhenia statue which is the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Centre also participates in the show by changing it’s lights in different colors – from red, violet, blue and green. It’s so pretty it made me want to pee more..haha. I wasn’t able to do that there though, there were no public bathrooms there, but there is one located near the viewing area.

Hongkong Convention Center in Red Lights

After which, Jeff and I took some pictures at the golden flower, which at the time were already flocked by other tourists and local photographers offering their services.

One know-it-all photographer came to us, and we thought he wants to take our picture with his camera, we kept saying no, until he just took the camera from Jeff. Apparently, he thinks Jeff is doing a poor job, and he wants to set my SLR to night mode shooting… but it had no effect at all.

At about quarter to 8, a narrator would announce how many minutes till the symphony of lights show starts. There are speakers and benches at the bay for those viewing the show. At 8, the show starts..beginning with a mellow music and subtle movement of lights….going to extra glamorous, until all the lasers and the lights are in full show.

Green Lasers

The show has four parts which we didn’t really bother to know..hehe. Here are the events of the show from tourism.gov.hk

The first scene “Awakening” begins with flashes of laser lights that give life to a nucleus of light-energy which gradually illuminates participating buildings using an array of dancing lights and rainbow colour. This scene symbolizes the genesis and powerful growth of Hong Kong.

The second scene “Energy” is represented by the display of rising colour patterns and the sweeping of the lasers and searchlights energetically across the night sky, signifying the vibrant energy of Hong Kong.

In the third scene “Heritage”, traditional lucky red and gold colours are displayed across buildings on both sides of the Harbour, complemented by the introduction of music using Chinese musical instruments, symbolizing Hong Kong’s colourful heritage and rich cultural traditions.

The fourth scene “Partnership” features a display of laser beams and sweeping searchlights scanning across the Harbour, representing an illuminated connection with the opposite side. Beams reach out to symbolically connect the two sides of the Harbour into one greater and unified partnership.

The finale “Celebration” brings out a powerful rhythmic display of swirling, kaleidoscopic patterns of lights and beams dancing lively across the Harbour. The exciting final scene signifies the celebration of the close partnership between the two sides of the Harbour and represents an even brighter future for Asia’s world city – Hong Kong.

Tips and Traps

• According to our research, Bauhenia Square is one of the best place to view the show, but from what we can see from our side, it looks like it’s best to be viewed at the avenue of stars.

More pictures of Hongkong’s Symphony of Lights here:

(click on the picture to view the album)