Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and it is likely most of us will be looking for the best spots to watch CNY fireworks in Kuching City.
As you may know, Kuching City turns into a ‘war-zone’ every Chinese New Year, and it is highly expected that this tradition would continue this year despite the pandemic.
If you really look into why fireworks or firecrackers are lighted during new year, there’s actually more reason to blow up more fireworks this coming CNY.
Why burn firecrackers during CNY?
Did you know that the burning of fireworks during Chinese New Year is actually done to scare off monsters?
Well, according to chinahighlights.com, legend says that a monster called Nian would come out to eat villagers and destroy their houses on each New Year’s Eve.
When villagers discovered that burning dry bamboo to produce an explosive sound scared away the monster, they started practicing such event ever since, hence now making it a tradition at Chinese New Year.
With that in mind, maybe fireworks could also scare off the Covid-19 virus perhaps?
Well, you never know, kan? So light up away!
Best spots to watch CNY fireworks in Kuching City
Anyway, since most of us can’t go back to our home towns due to travel restrictions, and also our effort in working together to break the chain of Covid-19 infections in Sarawak, then enjoying the fireworks would be the next best thing to do.
That said, here’s locations you can consider to get a glimpse of the CNY fireworks in Kuching City.
Kenyalang / BDC flyover
Located just outside of BDC, this flyover is the main spot in town to watch any fireworks in the city. It’s elevated, multi-layered and wide, and is placed well between plenty of housing estates which have dense Chinese population. This allows a 360 degree view of any ‘action’ in the vicinity. Since the BDC flyover is a elevated road, take extra precautions when parking on the road side if you opt to view fireworks from here.
CityOne flyover
Stopping at CityOne flyover allows one to enjoy fireworks from housing areas in central Kuching. You can’t see fireworks in Stutong from here as it’s blocked by CityOne Megamall, but fireworks from Iris Garden, Marbel Garden as well as Kenny Hill should be visible to light up the sky. Unlike BDC Flyover, the CityOne flyover is slightly narrower than BDC’s flyover, so park with caution if you decide to feat your eyes here.
Friendship Park
Unlike the two places listed above, Friendship Park isn’t elevated. However, it is centrally located among housing estates which boast major Chinese residents, hence making it a good place to view fireworks during CNY. The park also looks pretty nice at night so you can chill while looking at the sky light up.
Notable mentions
The places listed above are largely public places to observe fireworks in Kuching City.
However, there are better options which are unfortunately private. These places are likely closed to public at night (which is really a shame), but if they happen to be open in the future, they’d have some of the best places to view fireworks during CNY eve in Kuching City.
Wisma Seberkas carpark
The Wisma Seberkas multi storey carpark provides an amazing view of areas within Sungai Maong and Green Road which are densely populated by Chinese. This means when it’s Chinese New Year, the view of fireworks from here would be awesome! However, since Wisma Seberkas closes at 10PM, it’s unlikely you can access the carpark to enjoy the late night fireworks.
Kuching Civic Centre viewing platform
The tallest public viewing platform in Kuching gives you a 360 degrees of the city, so obviously it goes without saying this is the best place to watch fireworks in Kuching City. Unfortunately, it doesn’t open at night anymore. Even a bar that used to operate here is no longer in operation.
CityOne Megamall rooftop
Like the CityOne Flyover, the Cityone Megamall rooftop will allow you to view CNY fireworks from Iris Garden, Marbel Garden and Kenny Hill. In addition to that, you can likely also enjoy fireworks from BDC and nearby Tabuan Heights as it’s not blocked by any major building. Unfortunately, the rooftop has seen less activity lately and it’s uncertain if they would be open to the public anytime soon.
DBKU HQ Bukit Siol
This is a true hidden gem to watch Kuching’s sky light up during the eve of CNY. Located at the top of Bukit Siol, the view of Kuching City from here is stunning, day or night. This makes it one of the best spots to watch fireworks during the eve of CNY. Unfortunately the place is closed after 5PM, or else, it would be quite a view.
Best spots to watch CNY fireworks in Kuching City
Fireworks in Kuching during the eve of CNY are really amazing, so getting the best spot to view them would be really important.
The eve of CNY is the one time almost the whole Kuching ‘explodes’ with fireworks so it’s really spectacular.
Out of all public places listed above, the BDC Flyover is very popular for fireworks watching and would usually have quite a number of cars already lined up along the road 20 minutes before the eve of CNY.
That said, if you intend to go to any public spots to watch during this pandemic time, don’t forget to physically distance yourself from others, and do wear a mask.
Stay safe and Gong Xi Fa Chai!
