A towering bamboo altar at the Kam Tin Heung Jiao Festival has earned global recognition, securing a Guinness World Record and shining a spotlight on one of Hong Kong’s most important traditional cultural events.

Held once every decade, the 34th Kam Tin Heung Jiao Festival took place from December 13 to 19, with its monumental bamboo altar as the centrepiece. Certified by Guinness World Records on December 9, the structure was recognised as the world’s largest temporary bamboo altar, covering more than 41,000 square feet.

Built over two months using more than 25,000 bamboo poles and 3,500 wooden beams, the five-storey-high altar was crafted by a team of master artisans and could accommodate up to 6,000 people. Set in front of the Chou Wong Yi Kung Study Hall in Shui Tau Tsuen, it also functioned as one of Hong Kong’s largest traditional opera stages, highlighting bamboo scaffolding craftsmanship recognised as an intangible cultural heritage.

Dating back to 1685, the festival featured Taoist rituals, processions, Cantonese opera, lion and dragon dances, and communal vegetarian feasts, celebrating centuries-old traditions rooted in Kam Tin’s Tang clan history.