Halloween crowd plans revealed as 25,000 revellers expected in Hong Kong’s Lan Kwai Fong

Roads in the area will be closed in phases on Thursday and one-way pedestrian flow may be implemented as crowd size grows, police say

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Lan Kwai Fong is already gearing up for Halloween. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 8:26pm, 27 Oct 2024Updated: 9:43pm, 27 Oct 2024

About 25,000 revellers are expected to celebrate Halloween in Hong Kong’s Lan Kwai Fong nightlife area on Thursday, police have said, with the force stepping up safety measures including installing more surveillance cameras and using crowd counting technology for the first time.

In an annual crowd control plan for the popular event in Central, assistant district commander Kitty Chik Hsia-yu said on Sunday that roads in the area would be closed in phases starting from 2pm.

The closure area will cover D’Aguilar Street, Wyndham Street, Wellington Street, Stanley Street and Queen’s Road Central.

Chik said one-way pedestrian flow measures might be implemented as the crowd size grew, which could include closing some entrances to the area, with visitors required to enter through D’Aguilar Street and exit via Wyndham Street.

Police have installed 50 new permanent CCTV cameras throughout Lan Kwai Fong and nearby areas, providing real-time multi-angle monitoring directly to police district operational command centres.

The cameras operate with a new crowd counting feature that uses video analytic techniques to assess crowd density and determine when to implement crowd control measures.