Finally, I'm here for it. This is a guide for myself if I want to try again next time.
1. Plan your visit. If you plan to shoot from the higher ground (like those great-looking media ones), you should head over in early afternoon with your gear (heard from a veteran, not my experience). But as a casual viewer you don't need to do much except arriving at around 7-8pm, you will be standing near the streets as guided by the police crowd control works.
You'll see the dragon moving nearby while you wait, but you don't know when it's coming towards you.
For both times I headed there after 7 they'd ask you to enter via the path next to the Central Library (near Moreton Terrace Flyover), but the official MTR announcement would ask you to get off at Tin Hau station. And then you enter the long crowd control maze at Moreton Terrace Playground and follow the lead to enter Tai Hang. For this year, I note the dragon would parade to Victoria Park on the 2nd day.
2. The parade starts at around 8:30pm and there should be 3 rounds of dragon parade each day (even though me and many leave after the first one (around 9pm). When the dragon is coming towards you, you'll see drummers and then the fire guiding balls first.
3. Enjoy. On the last day first dragon there'd be some rituals for the shops if you happen to stand near one, identified by the green vegetable bunch hanging at shopfront. Just it's a fire dragon, do not expect it to fetch the bunch from its mouth.
4. Beware. The dancers do have a bottle of water with them in case the dragon body got ignited by the falling incense. As a bystander it is unlikely you'd get hurt from the dragon but just be careful.
5. So the dragon's danced passed you, what's next?
6. You can 1. wait for another dragon (if still early), 2. move quickly to another spot that the 1st dragon still hasn't marched by, or 3. just leave.
And when you leave Tai Hang, the souvenir you get besides what's in your phone/camera, is the smell of the incense. And if it is not enough, since the Fire Dragon occurs during Mid-Autumn Festival, head to nearby Victoria Park for some lanterns.
Feel free to check out more of my shots during Fire Dragon Dance on Shutterstock and Alamy (needs searching but it's in the middle).
And these are the shots taken at the Lantern Carnival 2025 at Victoria Park on Shutterstock too.
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