So last night we had dinner with Cousin Perran in Lan Kwai Fong's Reggatta, a really good New York based Italian restaurant. Following the dinner we decided to go check out the scene at Lan Kwai Fong which was already known as the place to see and be seen. Well before we ventured down the street we found a balcony to check out the crowd. Boy it was really a crowd. It was actually kind of overwhelming, like the mosh pit at a rave concert (yes, I know what it's like to be in a most pit). The street is closed off for pedestrian but the trick is that the direction is to walk through only ONE WAY. A few years ago drunk patrons of a bar started throwing beer bottles into the crowd. A stampede ensued and several people died. Police officers made their presence known but looking down from the balcony it really was quite overwhelming.

Lan Kwai Fong Halloween 2004

People were everywhere this weekend, the crowds were still out and about in CWB late on Friday night.

History of Halloween
Pretty good overview of the origins and intermingling of traditions.