Hongkongers should be prepared to wait in long queues at immigration checkpoints during the Christmas and New Year holidays because 7.67 million people are expected to pass through them over the next few days.

Visitors to Hong Kong have quite an array of sights and sounds to choose from.

If the spectacular "Symphony of Lights" will captivate them with its advanced pyrotechnic displays across the Victoria Harbour during Christmas and the New Year, then they are likely to be awe-struck by the six new light and sound shows off the Avenue of Stars and the Hong Kong Museum of Art from December 23 to 25 and then again from December 30 to January 1.

Then they have the grand view to enjoy from the Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai, and cross the Victoria Harbour to catch the breathtaking skyline of Hong Kong Island from the Tsim Shai Tsui waterfront. Onsite broadcasts will provide programme and other details in Mandarin on Saturday, Cantonese on Sunday and English on Monday.

As police expect 400,000 people to gather in Tsim Shau Tsui on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, some roads will be closed to traffic from 5 pm on both days.

The peak passenger flow period will be between December 22 and January 2, when according to the Immigration Department about 5.64 million passengers are expected to travel by land, with about 3.94 million using the Lo Wu checkpoint.

About 215,000 travellers would leave Hong Kong through Lo Wu on December 23, with the figure dropping on December 26, with 190,000 making the return journey. According to the Immigration Department forecast, the daily passenger will peak at 350,000 on Saturday.

The next popular land checkpoint, Lok Ma Chau, is likely to see about 1.81 million travellers, that is, about 151,000 a day during the festive season. Departures are expected to peak with about 100,000 people leaving for the mainland on December 24.

The number of incoming travellers is expected to touch 102,000 on December 26, while the daily flow would peak on Christmas with about 169,000 people crossing the border.

To cope with the heavy flow of people, the Immigration Department will post an additional 120 officers at the checkpoints, set up a Joint Command centre at Lo Wu and activate the dual-facing counter for unidirectional application at Lok Ma Chau.