East Asian Games opening ceremony, hour-by-hour

An artist's impression of the opening ceremony this Saturday

5 pm: Roads in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hung Hom, Central and Wanchai will be closed or re-routed for three hours for crowd control. You’re strongly advised to take the MTR, but if you insist on driving or cabbing it, check here for traffic details.

6:30 pm: Preshow starts. Expect patriotic singing and dancing.

7 pm: Ticket holders should be seated at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza by this time. All the 14 ferry routes will also be suspended around this time, so if you’re planning to get close to the action for the show, forget it.

8 pm: Opening ceremony starts. The EAG cauldron lights up while being flanked by a 44-vessel boat parade that will start from Tsim Sha Tsui East, pass by the Avenue of Stars and end at the Central Pier.

9:15 pm: Ooh and ahh over the 15-minutes fireworks spectacle over the Victoria Habour. If you want to be part of a crowd but aren't fond of roadblocks, big shopping malls such as Time Square, Habour City and Olympian City will be broadcasting the ceremony on giant plasmas.

Giant TV walls will play the ceremony real-time at the Central Pier, the Golden Bauhinia Square, the Wan Chai waterfront, the West Kowloon Promenade and the bus terminus of Tsim Sha Tsui Pier.

9:30 pm: Fireworks end and the great exodus from both side of the harbor begins.

The MTR Island Line, Tsuen Wan Line and Kwun Tong Line will be strengthened to three-minute headway. The West Rail Line will have trains arriving every four minutes.

10:15 pm: Navigation ban over the Victoria Habour lifts. Stay glued to the TV the next day for the finals of swimming, dance sport, table tennis and taekwondo.