If you were lucky enough to spend New Year’s Eve in Hong Kong, you may have spotted these LED balloons on sticks.
They were being flogged at MTR exits for people waiting to join the festivities at Victoria Harbour and even for those few who didn’t venture out, they were hard to miss, appearing on countless Instagram or Facebook profiles.
But if you’re hoping to ring in the Chinese New Year at an upcoming annual Lunar New Year Fair with one in your hands, we’ve got some bad news for you.
According to an announcement by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, floating glowing LED balloons will be banned from Lunar New Year Fairs being held throughout the city.
Concerns about the safety of the balloons were raised last November, when several LED balloons filled with hydrogen exploded in a taxi in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, injuring four people, who had purchased them from a street hawker, the SCMP reported.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LxDn5s3Uko
Citing such incidents, and noting it was difficult to know what gas was inside each balloon, an FEHD spokesperson said the LED glowing balloons would be banned “for the sake of safety”.
“No floating LED glowing balloons will be allowed to be brought into the LNY fair venues,” they said.
The statement also reminded the public that as well as hydrogen-filled balloons, aquarium fish and are also not allowed to be sold at the fairs.
Any balloons for sale must only contain helium, it added.
The Lunar New Year Fair will run from Feb. 10 to Feb. 16 and will be held at the following locations:
- Victoria Park, Causeway Bay
- Tat Tung Road Garden, Tung Chung
- Fa Hui Park, Sham Shui Po
- Cheung Sha Wan Playground, Sham Shui Po
- Morse Park, Wong Tai Sin
- Kwun Tong Playground, Kwun Tong
- Kwai Tsing Kwai Chung Sports Ground
- Sha Tsui Road Playground, Tsuen Wan
- Tin Hau Temple Plaza, Tuen Mun
- Tung Tau Industrial Area Playground, Yuen Long
- Shek Wu Hui Playground, Northern District
- Tin Hau Temple Fung Shui Square, Tai Po
- Yuen Wo Playground, Shatin
- Man Yee Playground, Sai Kung
- Po Hong Park, Tseung Kwan O
