Piu Sik parade returns to Cheung Chau on Buddha’s birthday

Some 20 floats paraded down the streets of Cheung Chau along with children dressed up as celebrities on the annual Jiao Festival on May 5, the Buddha’s birthday. 

The parade kicked off at Pak She Street at 1:30pm, passing through New Hing Street, Tai Hing Tai Road, Secondary School Road, Chung Hing Street, Tai Choi Yuen Road, Tai Sun Back Street, Hing Lung Main Street, New Hing Back Street, and concluded at Pak She Street again at around 4:30pm.

Cheung Chau Jiao Festival, also known as the Bun Festival, is a Hong Kong folk festival that’s supposed to give thanks to the deities. 

This year, characters from mainland Chinese animation Ne Zha 2 were a hit.

Children also dressed up as National Games athletes, members of the “KK Park” scam group in Myanmar that detained Hong Kong residents, and the Hong Kong police’s anti-scam mascot “Little Grape.”

The children in costumes, known as Piu Sik, sat on stilts carried by adults during the parade.  One of the performers included a girl wearing a sun hat and an orange shirt holding up a sign, to warn the public against scam farm jobs.

Spectators lined the streets under the scorching sun and in the humidity. 

“This is my first time at the parade. My favourite “Piu Sik” is Ne Zha because I liked the movie a lot,” said Xuan, 10, a Beijing tourist in Hong Kong with his parents during the “Golden Week” holiday in the mainland. 

“I think this year’s Piu Sik parade is not exceptional since I have attended this event for 20 years already,” said Poon Lai-yin, 50, a Tin Shui Wai resident. “I hope I don't have to wait  too long for the ferries when I leave. The arrangement last year was really messy.”

On-site police announced crowd safety management to cater for the large number of spectators for the parade. “No staying zones” are set up near Cheung Chau Ferry Pier to stop people from lingering. 

To ensure safety , fences were set up along the parade route and the public were urged to follow police instructions.

Sun Ferry, the operator of the Central-Cheung Chau route, said it increased the frequency of ferries to ease the crowds and advised people to avoid the peak travel time around 6 pm.