On any normal day, Hong Kong is about as densely populated as a tube of Smarties. Yes, they’re packed in all right, but there’s always that teeny tiny gap at the top of the tube that’s not quite filled. Disappointing for us maybe, but not for the humble Smartie, as it’s got that all-important gap to move around in. Yes, this is like Hong Kong on any normal day.

However, visit Hong Kong in September when the Mooncake Festival is being celebrated and we’re not talking Smarties with their lucky breathing space. Oh no. For on this one particular day we’re talking baked beans, locked in a tin, clinging to one another amongst a coagulated gloop of liquid. The humble Smartie would melt to the ground and this is pretty much what happens to you, as you battle for personal space amongst 7 million other people who choose to descend on Victoria Park in Causeway Bay to revel in the delights of this traditional Chinese festival.

Here the air is rich with the heady smell of incense and all around lay enchanting displays of skilfully crafted colourful lanterns, which glow intently against a heaving backdrop of visitors. Firecrackers and fireworks pop to awaken the dark night sky and a burning 60 metre long dragon dances to the hypnotic beat of drums. Tradition has it that you must get a glimpse of the season’s auspicious full moon for good luck. If the weather doesn’t permit, then the next best thing is to dabble in the delights of a sweet mooncake, made from lotus paste and a boiled egg. Once the night is over, you’ll be swept away with the human tide, where police are not directing wheels, but the flow of wandering limbs.