What’s New in Hong Kong: September 2023 Events You Should Check Out

September is hands down my favorite month of the year. Maybe it’s because I’m a Libra and both my old man and I were born in September. Maybe it’s because I have fond memories of peacocking around my home state in my best flannel while sipping apple cider. Or maybe it’s because the killer Hong Kong heat and humidity begin gradually abating (I’m kidding, that’s not until November). 

Regardless, I love this month and you should too. Don’t “wake me up when September ends,” because there’s a lot of life to be lived this fall.

Here are some hand-picked events, festivals, restaurants, and spots to check out this September 2023 in Hong Kong.

Note: This is the first monthly events roundup I’ve put together so I would love to hear any feedback in the comments or via email. I’m trying not to throw everything under the kitchen sink at this and be a bit more thoughtful with hand-curating some favorites/what I would actually go to. Let me know what you like, what you don’t like, what you’d like to see (or see more of), or any festivals, events, or restaurants/bars that you’d like to see included for future months!

September 2023 Spotlight: Ganso Tsukemen

Located right in the heart of bustling Tsim Sha Tsui (TST), Ganso Tsukemen is an affordable, neighborhood tsukemen (dipping ramen) shop serving up a ramen menu that will make seafood lovers cry. From a creamy abalone lobster tsukemen with char siu to salty oyster tsukemen, all the way to a Frankenstein’s monster consisting of abalone, lobster, sea urchin, and BBQ pork, Gansu is crossing their seafood t’s and dotting their shellfish i’s. 

For me, I always associate seafood with September, as New Hampshire is one of my favorite spots in the world to post up at a lobster roll haunt or oyster shack down on the Portsmouth decks post-Labor Day and soak in the remaining sunny weeks before the flannel is needed.

• Website: Ganso Tsukemen OpenRice
• Address: Tsim Sha Tsui, Hau Fook St, 5號多富閣地下
• Price: HK$80 to HK$260 per tsukemen (depending on how extravagant you go).

Pale Ale Travel Tip: If you’re in Central and looking for an authentic ramen shop, make sure to check out my post breaking down six of my favorite ramen restaurants in Hong Kong. 

September 2023 Festivals, Concerts, & Cultural Events

With the metaphorical turning of the leaves, September brings about a wide array of festivals, concerts, and other cultural events. Oh, and mooncakes. Pro tip: Maxim’s custard lava custard cakes are this Big Body’s favorite. 

Better With Beer Central Harbourfront

It wouldn’t be Pale Ale Travel if there wasn’t something beer-related on this list. This is one event that you can definitely catch me at this September – I just need to try and keep my composure after two months of going light on the beerus. This inaugural festival is an amalgamation of the team behind beloved the Clockenflap festival and the Craft Beer Association of Hong Kong. 

You can expect over 150 different beers from 20-plus breweries (Yardley Brothers is hands down my favorite in Hong Kong) while listening to a wide array of musical artists, bands, and DJs.

• Where: Central Harbourfront: Information and Tickets Can Be Found at https://www.ticketflap.com/better-with-beer 
• When: September 15th to 16th, 6 PM to 10 PM Friday, 12 PM to 4 PM Saturday, 6 PM to 10 PM Saturday 
• Price: Early bird tickets start at HKD$520 (With an HKD$15 handling fee) – this may sound steep but it includes all of your beer for the afternoon/night!

Happy Valley Racecourse Horse Races

Possibly my favorite Wednesday night activity (and the main culprit behind my Thursday morning hangovers), the weekly horse races at Happy Valley Racecourse are back for the start of a new season (September to June). 

Throw down a few one-hunna dolla bills on the funniest named horse, slug a few San Miguel beers, and celebrate having made it halfway through the week with your “ride or dies.”

• Where: Happy Valley Racecourse, Wong Nai Chung Road, Happy Valley
• When: Starting September 13th, Every Wednesday
  • Gates Open: 5:15 PM, First Race: 7:15 PM
• Price: HK$10 admission

Yu Lan Cultural Festival 

The Yu Lan Cultural Festival (‘Ghost Festival’) is an ancient Chinese festival celebrated by the Chiu Chow (Chaozhou) communities of Hong Kong. The premise of the festival is that one day of the year, the portals of both Heaven and Hell open, providing an opportunity for Buddhists and Taoists to exonerate the wrongdoings and suffering of deceased ancestors. 

This year’s event in Victoria Park boasts an augmented reality tour, live-action role-playing, and various games, workshops, performances, and rituals (including its signature paper and incense burning).

For further information, please see the ‘Federation of Hong Kong Chiu Chow Community Organizations’ website.

• Where: Soccer Pitch 1, Victoria Park
• When: 01/09 – 03/09, 10 AM to 8 PM
• Price: Free

#ddHK Vivid Tsuen Wan

Design District Hong Kong is back and at it decking out the neighborhood of everyone’s favorite MTR line, Tsuen Wan, with creative, colorful public art installations. 2023’s theme, ‘Vivid Tsuen Wan’ showcases art and creative units by Hong Kong, Japanese, American, and British artists, each bringing to life the juxtaposition of Tsuen Wan’s cultural heritage and the city’s emerging modern, chic aesthetic. 

• Where: Various Venues: Check the Design District’s website for daily locations: designdistrict.hk/home/index/en
• When: Until September, 15th, 2023
• Price: Free

Nature’s Hidden Kingdom

Tried and tested by yours truly, this visually stunning documentary in the Hong Kong Space Museum’s space theatre (aka a “dome show”) follows acclaimed biologist Merlin Sheldrake as he breaks down the vast, intricate world of fungi. It’s just over 40 minutes long, packed with easily digestible explainers of mycelium and mushrooms, and both kid and adult-friendly. 

I pre-gamed this by eating six pounds of Nepalese food over at Manakamana Nepali Restaurant (it was spectacular).

• Where: Space Theatre, Hong Kong Space Museum
• When: Runs until 30/09/2023
• Price: HK$12 to HK$32 – Additional information about ticket purchases can be found here: https://hk.space.museum/en/web/spm/shows/dome-show/natures-hidden-kingdom.html 

Mid-Autumn Festival (Assorted Events)

This is actually an assortment of events to celebrate the traditional ‘Moon Festival’ (and one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture), a popular holiday where the moon is believed to be at its brightest and fullest. 

Lanterns of all sizes are carried and displayed to symbolize good fortune and property, while dragon dances are performed to bring about peace and rid people of misfortunes. Some of the highlights I recommend checking out include:

• Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival
  • Where: Victoria Park
  • When: September 29th from 6:30 PM to 11 PM
  • Price: Free
• Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance (this is the big one)
  • Where: Victoria Park – Best Spot to Watch: Wun Sha Street
  • When: September 28th to 30th from 8:15 PM to 10:30 PM (10 PM on the final night)
  • Price: Free
• Pok Fu Lam Fire Dragon Dance
  • Where: Pok Fu Lam Village
  • When: September 28th to 29th
  • Price: Free

Don’t forget to pick up mooncakes at Maxim’s, Kee Wah Bakery (Central), Mandarin Oriental (or any major five-star hotel), or other popular shops. 

Where to Eat & Drink This September

Now that I’ve finally nailed down an apartment after my six months out of Hong Kong, there is some room to breathe. And that means more restaurants and drinks than I can shake a stick at. These are a few spots you can find me checking out/posting up this September.

Black Sheep Summer Festival

Food and beverage monolith ‘Black Sheep’ is helping you wrap up summer with a bang with their annual Summer Festival. This is five days of curated, action-packed hospitality and culinary experiences, including an ‘Under 30s Diner’s Night’, free flow ripper atop the peak at ‘Rajasthan Rifles’, and a Parisian-themed night of steak and drinks at everyone’s favorite free-flow frites spot ‘La Vache’.

• Where: Assorted Black Sheep Restaurants: Make sure to check Black Sheep’s website for specific nights: https://summerfestival.com.hk/ooh-la-la 
• When: 06/09/23 – 10/09/23
• Price: Varies but pricing starts as low as HK$388

Alice Pizza

A much-needed newcomer to Wan Chai (and Hong Kong’s pizza scene in general), Alice Pizza is hailed as one of Italy’s top pizzerias (How did we get so lucky?) and serving up authentic, thin, rectangular, crispy Teglia Romana pizzas (dine-in, takeaway, and delivery). 

• Website: https://www.alicepizza.it/en/ 
• Address: 92 Queen’s Rd E, Wan Chai

If you make it to Wan Chai and are in the market for a top-notch whiskey, I highly recommend heading over to the secluded and intimate whiskey bar ‘Mizunara: The Library’ (pictured above).

Summer Ice Cafe

You know I’m a sucker for a great little coffee shop. Located on the bustling Sands Street in Kennedy Town, Summer Ice Cafe is a new specialty coffee and waffle bar (this is their current ‘soft opening’) and reincarnation of the dearly departed Tai Wai shop.

• Website: https://www.instagram.com/summerice.hk/ 
• Address: 1j Sands St, Kennedy Town

Honky Tonks ‘Destination’ Bonetown’ & ‘Seafood Soiree’

The amount of wild nights I’ve had at Honky Tonks is criminal, so much so that I had a self-imposed Honky Tonks moratorium. But I’m back now and ready for their Monday night all-you-can-eat wings (including cauliflower buffalo bites – maybe the only thing I’d ever truly go vegetarian for) and all-you-can-drink beers/house cocktails. 

I am usually so burnt out from my Monday nights here that I rarely make the Tuesday ‘Seafood Soiree’ with North American (Canadian/New England) oysters and mussels and refreshing house wines at HK$85. 

• Website: https://www.honkytonkstavern.com 
• Address: Man Hing Ln, Central

Also, with Bengal Brothers reopening for dine-in in Wan Chai on September 1st, 2023, I’d like to give a shout-out to the Bengal Brothers/Honky Tonks past collab. Nothing is better than Indian street food (loved the lamb biryani) washed down with a mango daiquiri (or six).

The Hawk & Aster

Brought to you by Leading Nation hospitality group, the pioneers behind Elephant Grounds, Wagyumafia, and Morty’s, The Hawk & Aster is a newly opened green kitchen located in Pacific Place (having replaced Le Pain Quotidien) serving up classic breakfast, lunch, and dinner favorites. 

You can find everything from a feta pomegranate avocado toast (oh, and they serve up Elephant Grounds coffee) to steak and frites and wagyu burgers, all the way to baked escargot and miso-glazed black cod. 

• Website: http://thegrandcafes.com/thehawkandaster/home.html 
• Address: Unit 008, Level LG1, Pacific Place, 88, Queensway, Admiralty

Pale Ale Travel Tip: I know what you’re thinking, avocado toast sounds great right about now. Make sure to check out my article breaking down the best avocado toast spots in Hong Kong. 

Networking Events This Fall

This is one thing I’m trying to do more of. I know, there are a lot of douches out there but it’s all part of the grind. Go in, be deliberate, and know when to say “Excuse me” and move on to the next conversation. 

Networking at Spaces (Wai Yip Street)

Whether you are a small business owner slugging it out or a seasoned exec at a multinational corporation, coworking group ‘Spaces’ has the networking event for you. And there are free refreshments. So get out there, trade business cards, expand your network, and step outside your comfort zone. 

• Where: Spaces 12/F, The Grid, 133 Wai Yip Street Kwun Tong Hong Kong, KOW
• When: September 21st from 3 PM to 5 PM
• Price: Free 

Reserve your spot and learn more over at Eventbrite.

Speed Networking For Business Professionals at The Hive Sai Kung

If you’re a small business owner or entrepreneur located in (or around) Sai Kung, consider checking out The Hive’s first business speed networking event! I actually work out of The Hive (Sheung Wan) so I can attest to it being a great spot to meet other like-minded individuals and forge professional connections.

• Where: The Hive Sai Kung (more information over at: https://thehivesaikung.com.hk/events/event/speed-networking-for-business-professionals/) 
• When: September 14th from 6:30 PM to 8 PM
• Price: Free for Hive members, HKD $30 for non-members

Make sure to check out my post breaking down working out of The Hive Sheung Wan!

The Aligned Entrepreneurs

This free event put on by coworking space ‘Garage Society’ features a panel discussion of three established female entrepreneurs (Chomp, EQ International, All About You Wellness Centre) discussing how to strike a harmonious balance between work and life in today’s fast-paced world. 

Panelists will share personal experiences and offer practical and actionable strategies to help audience members navigate future entrepreneurial journeys and business ownership.

• Where: Garage Society Campus, 4F Beverly House, 93 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai
• When: September 28th from 7 PM to 9 PM
• Price: Free

You can find more information and reserve your ticket over at Garage Society’s website.

Want to feature your networking event or group for October (or future months)? Get in touch and let me know the details!

Pale Ale Travel Tip: If you’re looking to get some work done, don’t forget to check out my breakdown of 11 laptop-friendly cafes in Hong Kong. 

My Thoughts For September 2023 (& Turning 33)

I think I read somewhere that September is meant to be the perfect time to start a new routine. So do that. There. No but seriously. September is the beginning of fall, pumpkin spice lattes (hayyy gurl hayyy!), and the start of most academic years across the Northern Hemisphere. 

It’s a time for change. It’s your last chance to milk that last ounce out of the summer. It’s your new beginning to set yourself on the right path for the upcoming year. 

Don’t take it for granted. I’ll try not to.

I’m excited for 33. My Larry Bird year. My dance with the second level of Buddhist heaven. My personal and professional boiling point (I’m heating up) on the Newton scale. And hopefully not a Pope John Paul the 1st-type of year – a 33 day papacy due to a heart attack. Woah, that got morbid quickly.

If you have an event, festival, concert, or restaurant/bar that you would like to add to future monthly events roundups, make sure to reach out to me via info@palealetravel.com. Please provide a description of the event (including the dates it runs), a link to where they can find more information about it, a picture of the restaurant/bar/event/festival, and any additional details that may help readers!  

Cheers everyone,

Big Body