Hong Kong Public Holidays 2024 – Brief Introduction
Hong Kong is a special region where the east meets the west, and there are all kinds of festivals being celebrated here! From Lunar New Year to Good Friday, different cultures and religious festivals are all reasons for a good break. In 2024, there is a total of 17 Hong Kong public holidays. This includes 14 Statutory Holidays and 3 General Holidays. All Statutory Holidays are also considered to be General Holidays. However, there are 3 General Holidays that are not considered Statutory Holidays. They are Good Friday, the day following Good Friday, and Easter Monday.
Now, you may be wondering what is the difference between Statutory Holidays and General Holidays. According to the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China (LegCo)’s article on General Holidays and Statutory Holidays in Hong Kong, “white-collar workers, enjoy 17 general holidays while the other workers, mostly blue-collar workers, are entitled to 12 statutory holidays only”. Employees can refer to their employment contract to verify if they are entitled to all public holidays or just Statutory Holidays only. However, there has been an ongoing effort to standardize all public holidays by increasing the number of Statutory Holidays. The first to be done so is the Birthday of the Buddha, which was added to the list of Statutory Holidays in 2021. And the newly added statutory holiday from 2024 onwards is the first weekday after Christmas Day. For ease of explanation, this article will be talking about all Hong Kong public holidays 2024 including non-Statutory Holidays.
Hong Kong Public Holidays 2024 | Statutory Holiday/ General Holiday | Observed Date | Day of Week |
The first day of January* | Statutory | January 1, 2024 | Monday |
Lunar New Year’s Day | Statutory | February 10, 2024 | Saturday |
The third day of Lunar New Year | Statutory | February 12, 2024 | Monday |
The fourth day of Lunar New Year ** | Statutory | February 13, 2024 | Tuesday |
Good Friday | General | March 29, 2024 | Friday |
The day following Good Friday | General | March 30, 2024 | Saturday |
Easter Monday | General | April 1, 2024 | Monday |
Ching Ming Festival | Statutory | April 4, 2024 | Thursday |
Labour Day | Statutory | May 1, 2024 | Wednesday |
The Birthday of the Buddha | Statutory | May 15, 2024 | Wednesday |
Tuen Ng Festival | Statutory | June 10, 2024 | Monday |
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day | Statutory | July 1, 2024 | Monday |
The day following the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival | Statutory | September 18, 2024 | Wednesday |
National Day | Statutory | October 1, 2024 | Tuesday |
Chung Yeung Festival | Statutory | October 11, 2024 | Friday |
Chinese Winter Solstice Festival or Christmas Day (at the option of the employer) | Statutory | December 21, 2024 or December 25, 2024 | Saturday or Wednesday |
The first weekday after Christmas Day*** | Statutory | December 26, 2024 | Thursday |
*All employees are entitled to the above statutory holidays. If the statutory holiday falls on a rest day, a holiday should be granted on the day following the rest day which is not a statutory holiday or an alternative holiday or a substituted holiday or a rest day. An employee having been employed under a continuous contract for not less than 3 months is entitled to the holiday pay which is equivalent to the average daily wages earned by the employee in the 12-month period preceding the holiday. **According to the Employment Ordinance, when either Lunar New Year's Day, the second day of the Lunar New Year or the third day of the Lunar New Year falls on a Sunday, the fourth day of the Lunar New Year is designated as a statutory holiday in substitution; and in the event that the day following the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival falls on a Sunday, the day thereafter (i.e. the 17th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar) is designated as a statutory holiday in substitution. As the second day of Lunar New Year of 2024 falls on a Sunday, the fourth day of Lunar New Year will be designated as a statutory holiday. ***According to the Employment (Amendment) Ordinance 2021, the newly added statutory holiday from 2024 onwards is the first weekday after Christmas Day. |
(Statutory Holidays for 2024, Labour Department of Hong Kong; General holidays for 2024, GovHK
The First Day of January
January 1, 2024 (Monday)
Please refer to the following table to plan for a long break:
Holiday Period | Duration | Leave Date | Number of Leave Days |
December 30, 2024 (Saturday) to January 07, 2024 (Sunday) | 9 days | January 2, 2024 (Tuesday) to January 5, 2024 (Friday) | 4 days |
Source: Joseph Chan/ unsplash
Enjoy brilliant fireworks during the Hong Kong New Year Countdown!
Lunar New Year
Feburary 10, 2024 (Saturday) to Feburary 13, 2024 (Tuesday)
Please refer to the following table to plan for a long break:
Holiday Period | Duration | Leave Date | Number of Leave Days |
Feburary 10, 2024 (Saturday) to Feburary 18, 2024 (Sunday) | 9 days | Febrary 14, 2024 (Wednesday) and Febrary 16, 2024 (Friday) | 3 days |
Source: Easton Mok/ unsplash
Lunar New Year is one of the most important festivals in Hong Kong
Easter&Ching Ming Festival
Easter: March 29, 2024 (Friday) to April 1, 2024 (Monday)
Source: Anna Bratiychuk/ unsplash
Plan a fun Easter egg hunt to celebrate Easter Monday!
Ching Ming Festival: April 4, 2024(Thursday)
Please refer to the following table to plan for a long break:
Holiday Period | Duration | Leave Date | Number of Leave Days |
March 29, 2024 (Friday) to April 7, 2024 (Sunday) | 10 days | April 2, 2024 (Tuesday), April 3, 2024 (Wednesday), and April 5, 2024(Friday) | 3 days |
Labour Day
Labour Day: May 1, 2024 (Wednesday)
Please refer to the following table to plan for a long weekend:
Holiday Period | Duration | Leave Date | Number of Leave Days |
May 1, 2024 (Wednesday) to May 5, 2024 (Sunday) | 5 days | May 2, 2024-May 3, 2024 | 2 day |
Source: Catgirlmutant/ unsplash
Let us pay tribute to the contribution of workers on Labour Day.
The Birthday of the Buddha
May 15, 2024 (Wednesday)
Please refer to the following table to plan for a long weekend:
Holiday Period | Duration | Leave Date | Number of Leave Days |
May 15, 2024 (Wednesday) to May 19, 2024 (Sunday) | 5 days | May 16, 2024-May 17, 2024 | 2 day |
Source: Goh Win Nie/ unsplash
The Big Buddha on Lantau Island
Tuen Ng Festival
June 10, 2024 (Monday)
Source: Samuel Wong / unsplash
Dragon boats competing on the waters in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day
July 1, 2024 (Monday)
Source: Simon Zhu/ unsplash
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day is celebrated with fireworks and dragon dances.
The Day Following the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival
September 18, 2024 (Saturday)
Please refer to the following table to plan for a long weekend:
Holiday Period | Duration | Leave Date | Number of Leave Days |
September 14, 2024 (Saturday) to September 22, 2024 (Sunday) | 9 days | September 16-Septerber 17, September 19-September 20 | 4 days |
Source: Billy Kwok/ unsplash
Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with lanterns, mooncakes and the full moon
National Day
October 1, 2024 (Tuesday)
Please refer to the following table to plan for a long weekend:
Holiday Period | Duration | Leave Date | Number of Leave Days |
September 28, 2024 (Saturday) to October 1, 2024 (Tuesday) | 4 days | September 30, 2024 (Monday) | 1 day |
Chung Yeung Festival
October 11, 2024 (Friday)
Chinese Winter Solstice Festival
December 21, 2024 (Saturday)
Christmas Day
December 25, 2024 (Monday) to December 26, 2024 (Thursday)
Please refer to the following table to plan for a long break:
Holiday Period | Duration | Leave Date | Number of Leave Days |
December 21, 2024 (Saturday) to December 29, 2024 (Sunday) | 9 days | December 23 to December 24, December 27 | 3 days |
Source: Tina Vanhove/ unsplash
Celebrate this festive season with Christmas tree decorations and sumptuous feasts!