The weather put a dampener on a water splashing festival in Kowloon City to celebrate Songkran on Saturday afternoon, with organisers forced to suspend the event when a thunderstorm warning was issued.

The "Water Splashing with Electronic Music" festival was part of a campaign to enhance Hong Kong's day and nighttime vibrancy.

Rizwan Ullah, a member of Kowloon City District Council which co-organised the event, said there was no problem with a little rain, but the threat of a storm posed safety fears.

"With the rain, it makes you feel more like in Bangkok or in Thailand, celebrating Songkran. I mean with rain it's perfectly okay, no problem. But the problem is with thunder," he said.

"Because if you are government organising an event like this with thunder, you have that responsibility to ensure public safety."

A man who said he has been going to the festival for many years was disappointed with the suspension.

"I understand that it should be suspended due to the thunderstorm warning, but I hope it can be resumed soon. The atmosphere is not as good as before," he said.

A tourist from Shanghai said while water splashing was the highlight of the festival, he still enjoyed the food on offer.

"This festival is still special because there are Thai New Year celebrations in Hong Kong. The atmosphere is quite good," he said.

The festival was slated to continue at Carpenter Road Park Basketball Courts on Sunday.