The annual bun festival in Cheung Chau will return on Friday without its landmark 40-foot-tall bamboo towers.

Instead, three drawings have been placed at the site where the towers normally stand, although a smaller tower used in the bun-scrambling competition is not affected.

The Hong Kong Cheung Chau Bun Festival Committee said on Sunday that it was told by a contractor in late March that it could not construct the towers because of a lack of staff.

"Regarding this year's handling, the committee will carry out a review later. Hope next year will be a better year!" it wrote on its Facebook page.

The bun festival, which also features a grand parade, is normally held every year but was cancelled during the pandemic.