Homer Simpson would have loved the Hong Kong Sevens. After all. it was he who once decided that the only alternative to giving up beer was for himself and his family to become a troupe of travelling acrobats.
If one man was to sum up the Sevens and the hedonistic beer fest that it is, then it must be this famous sitcom character. Some will look like him and, what's more, act like him - the only difference being that in Hong Kong they will be spending much more money.
Publicans estimate they will sell at least four times as much beer this weekend as on a normal one. All that booze won't just be bloating the bellies of thousands of beer monsters, but filling the coffers of pub owners around the city. For if there is one thing the Sevens is renowned for globally, it is excessive consumption of beer.
One former owner of a prominent Lan Kwai Fong bar remembers his wife getting angry about him showing up well past sunrise on the Sunday after traditionally the biggest day, the Saturday.
'Where have you been?' she asked me sarcastically. I had this rubbish bag full of money so I threw it all over her on the bed: 'That's where I've been, earning all of this',' he said.
Hotels and restaurants will also profit considerably. Beer monsters, after all, must rest their heads and recharge. The Harbour Grand Kowloon is one of many hotels which is full for the weekend. All 554 rooms and suites in the hotel were booked out two months in advance.
'The Sevens is one of the busiest weekends for hotels in Hong Kong - some of our guests book up to a year in advance,' general manager Jonathan Wilson said.
