Jardine's Noonday Gun
Every day at noon, a three-pounder naval gun booms across Causeway Bay's waterfront — a ritual so absurd and so Hong Kong it has been firing since 1860. Stroll through the underpass beneath the Excelsior Hotel, step out to the harbourside, and time your watch to the cannon's crack.
A Colonial Quirk Still Going Strong
The Noonday Gun sits on a small plot of waterfront lawn beside the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter, overlooking Victoria Harbour. An employee of Jardine Matheson fires the three-pounder naval gun at exactly noon every single day, keeping a tradition that dates back to the mid-19th century.
The ritual became famous beyond Hong Kong's shores thanks to Noël Coward's song 'Mad Dogs and Englishmen', which immortalised the peculiar colonial habit. Even today, a small crowd gathers daily to feel the concussion and snap a photo with the gleaming barrel.
Getting There & Making the Most of It
The gun is reached via a pedestrian underpass that runs beneath the Excelsior Hotel on Gloucester Road — look for the signposted entrance near the hotel's driveway. The whole detour from Causeway Bay MTR takes about eight minutes on foot.
Arrive five to ten minutes early to claim a front-row spot on the low railing. After the bang, the promenade path leads directly to the Typhoon Shelter waterfront, making this a perfect opener for a longer harbourside walk.
Jardine's Noonday Gun on video
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