The three-day gala will culminate with the closing party in a former medieval shipyard where Lady Gaga and Elton John are expected to perform.

Citizens of Hong Kong used to rally for democracy every July 1. The National Security Law has kept the streets quiet for the last five years, but the movement's fading slogans still echo in people's minds.

It’s been years since mass arrests all but silenced pro-democracy activism in Hong Kong. But a crackdown on dissent in the semiautonomous Chinese city is still expanding, hitting restaurants, bookstores and other small businesses.