Stalls Left Unwanted At Lunar New Year Fair Auction

Bidding was sluggish on Tuesday at the auction for booths for next year's Lunar New Year fair in Victoria Park, with almost half of the flower stalls up for grabs taken back due to a lack of interest.

Only 70 people showed up at the auction venue during the morning session, when three fast food booths and 60 flower stalls at Victoria Park were available.

The biggest fast food booth went for around HK$200,000 – 60 percent less than last year's price.

The two other food stalls, meanwhile, were sold at, or very near, their reserve prices.

The response for the flower booths was also lacklustre, with almost half of them attracting no bidders at all.

The auction follows the government's announcement that vendors will only be able to sell flowers and food at next year's flower markets, instead of the novelties usually offered by political parties and community groups.

Officials say the decision was made to ensure public safety and facilitate crowd control by enlarging stall sizes and the width of the passageways.

The Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, which has been selling political items at the fair for 30 years, won bids for two flower booths.

It said it will sell flowers with political messages to satisfy the government's new requirements.