THIS year’s Mid-Autumn Festival brings a packed slate of free events across Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macao, from Michelin-starred dining and craft beer to lantern displays and dragon dances. Here is a guide to the celebrations, most of which require no tickets or reservations.

Michelin Guide Food Festival

The Michelin Guide Food Festival returns for the Mid-Autumn holiday. Organizers have teased star-rated restaurants, live cooking by star chefs, day and night experiences in a landscape setting, interactive light-and-shadow performances, and intangible cultural heritage aesthetics paired with Mid-Autumn traditions.

Dates: Sept. 25-27

Location: Wanxiang Street, MixC Shenzhen, Luohu District

Metro: Line 1, 2 or 5 to Grand Theater Station (大剧院站), Exit F

Women’s tennis

The 2026 Billie Jean King Cup Finals takes place Sept. 22-27 at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center Gymnasium, where China’s top women players host seven of the world’s leading national teams, including Italy, the Czech Republic and Spain.

The Shenzhen finals features Grand Slam champions, Olympic medalists and top-ranked players including Zheng Qinwen, Karolina Muchova, Linda Noskova, Jasmine Paolini, Elina Svitolina, and Marta Kostyuk.

Tickets and the full match schedule are available on the official ticketing platform.

Dates: Sept. 22-27

Venue: Shenzhen Bay Sports Center Gymnasium, Nanshan District

Metro: Line 2, 11 or 13 to Houhai Station (后海站), Exit M or H

GBA craft beer festival

The festival brings together more than 80 craft beers, with stamp-collection challenges, lucky draws and live music.

Time: 4-9 p.m., Sept. 25-27

Location: G/F, West Plaza, Link CentralWalk, Futian District

Metro: Line 1 or 4 to Convention & Exhibition Center Station (会展中心站), Exit B

Sweet soup festival

The festival covers Cantonese sweet soups, Hong Kong-style desserts, Chaoshan sweet soups, coffees, Guangxi ice desserts and Guizhou ice paste.

Time: 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sept. 24-27

Location: Prince Bay Garden City Villa, Nanshan District

Metro: Line 2 or 12 to Sea World Station (海上世界站)

Free light shows

Shenzhen Talent Park

Time: 7:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Sept. 25-27

Metro: Line 13 to Talent Park Station (人才公园站), Exit B; walk about 200 meters to the park’s north gate and cultural plaza

OH Bay

Musical fountain: 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. (15 minutes each), Sept. 25-27

Light-and-water show: 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. (15 minutes each), Sept. 25-27

Metro: Line 5 to Linhai Station (临海站), Exit B2

Guanlan Ancient Market

Time: 7:30-8:40 p.m., Sept. 25-27

Metro: Line 4 to Guanlan Station (观澜站), Exit B

Mid-Autumn concert

“FUSICIANZ Mid-Autumn Festival Concert” blends Bach with Cantonese nursery rhymes, “Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon” with pop rhythms, and guzheng, sheng and erhu with electric guitar, bass and synthesizers, adding jazz, rock, electronic and Chinese pop influences.

Time: 7:30 p.m., Sept. 24

Location: Shenzhen Concert Hall, Futian District

Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D

HK lantern carnival

The International Lantern Spectacular in Hong Kong includes themed lantern displays, activities and intangible cultural heritage elements such as traditional lantern crafting. Events are divided into the lantern carnival and the lighting installation.

Dates: Sept. 17-27 for lantern carnival; Sept. 17-Oct. 11 for lighting installation

Locations: Victoria Park for lantern carnival; Hong Kong Cultural Center Piazza for lighting installation

Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance

The Tai Hang Fire Dragon measures about 67 meters and is carried by more than 300 performers. Its body is studded with more than 12,000 incense sticks. The dance will be performed for three nights. On Mid-Autumn Day (Sept. 25), the fire dragon may also parade into Victoria Park at around 10:30 p.m., connecting the two major celebrations.

On the night of Sept. 26, after parading through the Tai Hang community, the dragon will undergo a “returning to heaven” ceremony and be sent into the waters off Causeway Bay, symbolizing the removal of misfortune and a new beginning.

Time: 8:15-10:30 p.m., Sept. 24-26

Location: Tai Hang, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. The best viewing spot is Wun Sha Street.

Macao fireworks display

The 34th Macao International Fireworks Display Contest is scheduled for five nights including the Mid-Autumn Day on Sept. 25.

The displays take place over the waters near Macao Tower. Each performance night features two 18-minute shows, beginning at 9 p.m. and 9:40 p.m., respectively.

Best viewing spots: Sun Yat-sen Avenue, Macao Science Center Seawall, Sagres Avenue, Nam Van Lake Cybernetic Pavilion, and Lakeside Road (in Macao); Shizimen Beach, the area near Hengqin IFC Tower, and Jialin Mountain (in Zhuhai and Hengqin) (Tang Li)