Cheung Chau Bun Festival tickets?
We've booked a hotel on the island for May 5th in hopes of seeing the midnight bun tower climbing event, but I found on their website that you can only watch the event if you have tickets that you can only get on the day by queueing up for them when you're on the island...
Does anyone know roughly how long queueing for the ferry to the island from Central Pier 5 would be like in the morning? and if anyone has any past experience as to when the tickets will be all given out?
Ideally, we'd set off around 10am to make our way to the pier but is that too late to grab some tickets for the event? Or is there a public viewing area at the event that doesn't require tickets? (I've seen photos of people watching the event from the buildings around it)
You will probably see long queues at Central Pier 5 but don’t be put off. Its all well organised and the queues quickly dissipate when the ferries arrive.
Tickets for the bun scrambling are not distributed until 10pm on the day from near Cheung Chau Fire Station next to the Pak Tai Temple soccer pitches where the event takes place. I believe there are about 1,600 tickets. However, most day visitors leave the island in the early evening after the Pui Sik Parade (with the “floating children”) which takes place between 2 and 4pm. The island has quieted down quite considerably by the time of the bun scrambling event. There are also Cantonese Opera performances and various other activities on the island throughout the day.
I was at the 2017 festival, during my stay on the island, and did not have a ticket but still had a reasonable view (partially obscured) from the praya (promenade) outside the football pitches.
Some photos of the day here;
https://www.flickr.com/gp/hongkongviews/0T223JBj0M
That's very informative, thank you. So setting off around 10am should be fine to see the floats between 2 - 4pm, then after ~9:30pm is when we should start queuing up for the tickets at the fire station for the actual bun tower climbing event.
I also read that there are two types of floats, the one on the main street for the tourists and a smaller one in the side streets for the locals? I assume they loop around the island so viewing both should be possible, but is there a map with the routes they take? If not, then I assume hovering somewhere in the middle of the island opposite the pier should be a viable spot to walk between the two?
The Piu Sik Parade takes place in the streets in the narrow central area of the island between the ferry pier and Tung Wan Beach, starting and finishing at the soccer pitches in front of the Pak Tai Temple. Hong Kong Tourism Board usually publishes the route map on its website nearer the day of the event but as far as I'm aware its the same route every year and a map from a previous year is here;
https://flic.kr/p/2qWiSF3
Some of the narrow streets along the route become extremely crowded from at least an hour or so before the parade begins and the police may eventually restrict access to some sections. You should, however, be able to view from some of the more open areas along the route such as around the soccer pitches at the start/finish, the area where the parade passes in front of the Tin Hau Temple near the temporary grandstand and this open "square" which the parade crosses, just a short distance from the ferry pier in the direction of Tung Wan Beach;
https://maps.app.goo.gl/GFasuntgZLax99NWA
Thank you, that's immensely helpful. We'll try to find a decent spot along the route (i'll check the HK tourism board on the day for the map) or failing that, opt for the square that the parade will pass through twice.
Confirmation of arrangements for the Bun Scrambling Final including ticket distribution;
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202504/28/P2025042800273.htm
More information on crowd management arrangements for the parade;
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202505/02/P2025050200723.htm
