FEHD Columbarium Hours Extended to 7am-7pm for Chung Yeung Festival
HK01 · 3 SOURCES1 day ago2 MIN
Summary
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) announced Thursday that all public columbaria under its jurisdiction will operate under extended hours from Friday through November 1, opening from 7am to 7pm daily to facilitate pre-festival visits ahead of the Chung Yeung Festival on October 18 . The department is urging worshippers to avoid the expected peak congestion on the festival day itself and consider visiting during the extended pre and post-festival period instead .
Key Points
- Extended opening hours apply across all FEHD columbaria from September 26 through November 1, running from 7am to 7pm
- Chung Yeung Festival falls on October 18; FEHD strongly advises avoiding this peak day to reduce crowding
- Two major columbaria (Tseng Choi Tong and Colinson Corner New Building) will not offer walk-in queue services for incense burners on weekends and public holidays—worshippers must obtain numbered tickets online or on-site
- All vehicles will be prohibited from entering FEHD cemeteries and columbaria during the special traffic period, with exceptions only for permitted vehicles
- Shatin Shek Mun Columbarium and the Memorial Garden maintain a smoke-free worship policy year-round, prohibiting all incense burning and offering combustion
- An escalator adjacent to Colinson Corner New Building Columbarium has been opened to improve public access
Why It Matters
The extended operating window provides approximately 12 hours of daily access compared to standard hours, effectively dispersing the annual memorial surge that traditionally concentrates on a single festival day . The numbered ticketing system for incense burners at the two busiest facilities represents a significant operational shift designed to eliminate chaotic queuing, while the ongoing smoke-free initiative at Shatin reflects the government's broader environmental and public health agenda in managing Hong Kong's cremation and memorial infrastructure .
The extended operating window provides approximately 12 hours of daily access compared to standard hours, effectively dispersing the annual memorial surge that traditionally concentrates on a single festival day . The numbered ticketing system for incense burners at the two busiest facilities represents a significant operational shift designed to eliminate chaotic queuing, while the ongoing smoke-free initiative at Shatin reflects the government's broader environmental and public health agenda in managing Hong Kong's cremation and memorial infrastructure .