In recent days, the streets and alleys of Hong Kong and Macau have been decorated with a new look, filled with a strong New Year's atmosphere. The statue of a galloping horse is soaring high in the square, the fragrance of New Year's flowers is competing for beauty in the flower market, large installations attract crowds in the market, and calligraphy masters are splashing ink and spring in the streets. From December to the Spring Festival, Hong Kong and Macao have a variety of exciting activities to celebrate the Spring Festival, presenting a cultural and tourism feast that combines ancient and modern elements, as well as Chinese and Western cultures, to citizens and tourists. Hong Kong: Thousands of Horses Galloping to Celebrate the New Year In Hong Kong, various activities and installations themed around horses remind people that the Year of the Horse is approaching. At the Tuen Mun Town Plaza in the New Territories, the "Spring Festival Art Park" presents Xu Beihong's "Six Horses" and "Running Horses" with 400000 building blocks; Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car launches the "Horse Leaps to Welcome the New Year" event, and sets up a large horse installation and a lucky wheel interactive check-in point at the Ngong Ping Market; The 20th Chinese New Year Flower Exhibition "Blooming Thousands of Horses to Welcome the New Year" showcased 20 new orchids, with an eye-catching eight color orchid rainbow themed installation; A 7-meter-high sculpture of a "MOLLY" jockey in the shape of a bubble horse stands tall in the platform garden of Tsim Sha Tsui, attracting many tourists to take photos. The fusion of traditional and innovative elements is a major feature of Hong Kong's Spring Festival activities. The IP joint red envelope and cartoon spring painting on Fuk Wing Street in Sham Shui Po, the incorporation of trendy images such as "La Bu Bu" into calligraphy creation by the Ho Fung Tang Calligraphy and Painting Academy in Sheung Wan, and the night light carriages and nostalgic markets of the Ngong Ping 360 cable car all reflect the clever integration of innovative thinking into Chinese New Year customs. Mr. Kang, a citizen who took photos with his child in front of the building block "Running Horse Picture", said, "Xu Beihong's horse is a classic ink painting, and the building block is a familiar toy for children. Combining the two is too clever." During the Spring Festival, more exciting activities will be held intensively. The "Cathay Pacific New Year International Performance Night" with the theme of "Happy Start of the Year" will be held on February 17th, the first day of the lunar new year, to showcase Hong Kong's diverse cultural charm to global travelers. At that time, Tsim Sha Tsui will host a grand New Year's party and a float parade incorporating the characteristics of horses, along with exciting performances from local and international performance teams in Hong Kong, to kick off the Year of the Horse. From the second day of the Lunar New Year to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, floats will appear at multiple locations in Hong Kong to continue the exciting performance. On the evening of the second day of the Lunar New Year, a 23 minute fireworks display will set off 31888 fireworks, starting with the theme of "ten thousand galloping horses", presenting designs such as horseshoes and "8" shaped gold ingots, with the word "WIN" symbolizing victory. On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Sha Tin Racecourse will hold the "Horse Year Racing Day". On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Hong Kong's annual New Year football tournament, the New Year Cup, will once again be held. In addition, traditional activities such as the New Year's Eve flower market and praying at the Che Gong Temple will add an auspicious and festive atmosphere to Hong Kong's Spring Festival. Exciting festival activities will attract more tourists. Yang Shufen, the Secretary General of the Hong Kong Tourism Industry Council, predicts that nearly 1.4 million mainland tourists will visit Hong Kong during this year's Spring Festival, surpassing last year's number. Cui Dingbang, the General Secretary of the Hong Kong Tourism Promotion Association, stated that it is expected that no less than 300 mainland tourist groups will arrive in Hong Kong every day during the Spring Festival period. The room reservation rate for many small and medium-sized hotels during the Spring Festival holiday has reached 80%, and the overall occupancy rate from the first to the fifth day is expected to be very ideal. Macau: Light Shake Dance Leaps to Celebrate the Harvest Year. The streets of Macau are also filled with festive atmosphere. The theme exhibition board of the "Soaring Horses and Happy Spring Festival" event on the street is particularly eye-catching. Red lanterns are hung high in front of shopping malls and shops, and there are a wide variety of Chinese and Western candies and other New Year's food in the shops. Restaurants and hotels have launched new menus for group New Year meals... The Macau 2026 Lunar New Year Fair will open from February 10th to 17th at Ta Shek Square, selling New Year gifts, flowers and snacks, and will be accompanied by large-scale floral exhibitions and stage performances. Starting from February 16th, the Municipal Services Department of the Macau SAR Government will set up 10 temporary stalls selling windmills and other goods on the pedestrian walkway in front of the A-Ma Temple, and set up a firecracker setting area and 6 stalls selling firecrackers and fireworks near the coast of the Navy General's Road in Taipa, allowing citizens and tourists to fully experience the joy of setting off firecrackers and watching fireworks on the beach. The Macau New Year celebration event focuses on art and technology. The Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government announced that a series of New Year activities will be held during the Spring Festival period, titled "Riding a Steed with Auspiciousness on the New Year's Haojiang River, Embracing the Past and Present". Among them, the "Happy Spring Festival Series Activities -2026 New Year Celebration Activities" will present folk performances from Xinjiang, Chongqing and other places from February 17 to 19. The "Happy Spring Festival -2026 Dragon Soaring Dance to Celebrate the New Year" community tour will present Macau's unique golden dragon tour and designated community performances on the first and second day of the Lunar New Year, leading tourists into the area for sightseeing. The "Jin Jun Yun Xiang Happy Spring Festival" 2026 drone fireworks display will adopt the form of drone fusion fireworks for the first time, joining a fleet of 3888 drones. Three performances will be held near the Macau Tourism Tower with music and lighting effects, respectively at 21:45 on the third day of the Lunar New Year, 21:00 on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, and 21:00 on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Each performance will last about 15 minutes, sending holiday wishes to residents and tourists. The "Joyful Spring Festival 2026 Chinese New Year Float Show" featuring galloping horses will make a lively appearance from February 19th to March 8th. The show will be held on the third day of the Lunar New Year at Xiwan Lake and on the twelfth day of the first lunar month in the North District. The event will cover various aspects such as float shows, cultural performances, float exhibitions, and online games, promoting community tourism and nighttime economy. The large-scale performance at the main venue will be themed "Future Prosperity", with about 1300 performers and 17 floats from Hong Kong, Macao, mainland China, and overseas participating in the performance. Wen Qihua, Director of the Tourism Administration of the Macao Special Administrative Region, said that the Spring Festival celebration this year introduced new elements, tried to improve the quality and upgrade from multiple dimensions, such as performance experience, integration of technology and art, and extension of festival atmosphere, further enriched the connotation of "tourism+" and the charm of night, promoted the diversified development of Macao's comprehensive tourism and leisure industry, and demonstrated the profound endogenous power of cultural and tourism integration of Macao's "World Tourism and Leisure Center". (New Society)