Children dressed up as Hong Kong celebrities, star athletes, deities and even government officials on Wednesday as thousands of people flocked to Cheung Chau for the island's annual bun festival.

Queues formed from the morning at shops offering buns stamped with peace messages, with sellers pleasantly surprised by the turnout.

"We expected that there would be a drop of 10 to 20 percent in the visitor numbers when compared with last year. But the situation is better than our expectations," said one storekeeper surnamed Kwok.

"I think people want to experience the festive vibe, while hoping this can bring them peace and luck."

A man surnamed Wong told RTHK he was waiting patiently to get his hands on more than 10 buns in different flavours, for him and his family.

"I have waited for an hour. But I'm fine with queuing. It's not a big deal. It's just once a year. I've been coming to the festival for 12 years, since 2012," he said.

"I just hope everything goes smoothly and I wish for good health. The Cheung Chau residents believe that, so I just follow the local customs."

One of the main highlights of the festival, the Piu Sik Parade, got underway in the afternoon, with children dressed up as various characters making their way through the island's streets on stilts.

Mini versions of star fencer Cheung Ka-long and swimmer Siobhan Haughey were in the Olympic spirit ahead of the upcoming Paris Games, while there were also sightings of Dragon Ball characters and Hong Kong singer and actor Aaron Kwok.

One child played security minister Chris Tang and another came as Executive Council convenor Regina Ip to explain Article 23 laws to the crowds.

Another child was decked out as an officer of the Environmental Protection Department, on duty to promote the city's planned waste charging scheme.

Alice, an exchange student in the SAR, hailed the atmosphere of the parade.

"There's the drumming, all the little kids, everyone's smiling, happy. I like the lion dancers, the dragons. It's really nice, it's a really good day, lots of sun, so it's good fun. I'm staying around till the bun climbing," she said.

Indian tourist Azaira told RTHK the parade was "phenomenal".

"It's amazing, something I've never seen. But I think most importantly, it's the effort that everyone has taken to make this day so special," she said.

"I know it's Buddha's birthday and the costumes, the time, the effort that's taken to put into this. And of course the walking around in this heat.... I love it."
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Last updated: 2024-05-15 HKT 16:52