Kai Tak Sports Park drew 590,000 concertgoers in first 3 months since opening, Hong Kong gov't says
Around 590,000 people attended concerts held at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Sports Park in the first three months after it opened, with over half of them tourists, the government has said.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law said in a written reply to lawmakers on Wednesday that 15 large-scale concerts had been held at Kai Tak Stadium and Kai Tak Arena since the sprawling sports park officially opened on March 1.
As of May 31, the two Kai Tak facilities welcomed about 590,000 concertgoers, more than the total attendance in the first five months this year at two other major concert venues in the city, Law said.
Around 221,000 people attended concerts held at the AsiaWorld-Expo, near the International Airport, from January to May, while concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom over the same period attracted about 275,000.
Law also said more than half of Kai Tak's concertgoers came from mainland China and overseas, whereas tourists comprised over 30 per cent of the concertgoers at the AsiaWorld-Expo.
The government estimated that around 285 large-scale pop concerts would be held throughout 2024 and the first half of 2025, drawing 3.9 million spectators, including 1.4 million tourists, she said.
The tourists would spend an estimated HK$3.4 billion in the city, Law added.
Transport plans
When asked how to ensure mainland Chinese concertgoers could cross the border smoothly after each concert, Law said the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the police, and the Transport Department would work closely with event organisers, venue management, and public transport operators.
She said that the number of cross-boundary coaches on the night of May 24, when Singaporean pop star JJ Lin took the stage at Kai Tak Stadium, was double the figure on normal days.
About 3,300 passengers who purchased tickets in advance were transported within one hour after the concert ended, Law said.
The 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium has seen international and local acts, such as British band Coldplay, Taiwanese band Mayday, and Hong Kong pop star Nicholas Tse.
Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou is set to perform for three nights at the end of June at the venue.
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