Hongkongers 8km from music festival complain about noise although levels within limits on site
- S2O Hong Kong Songkran Music Festival was held at the weekend at the Central harbourfront
Hong Kong environmental authorities have received eight noise complaints related to a festival at the Central harbourfront over the weekend, while some residents 8km away in Wong Tai Sin and Tsz Wan Shan said they were disturbed by loud music.
“The measurements were reported to the Environmental Protection Department every hour during the event,” a festival spokesman said.
“The organiser was in close contact with both the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and police during and after the event.”
The line-up for the two-day festival on Saturday and Sunday included South Korean DJ NewJeansNim, Moldovan song producer Andrew Rayel and US singer Pauline Herr.
Some residents in Wong Tai Sin and Tsz Wan Shan, across Victoria Harbour, said on social media that they felt vibrations caused by loud music on both nights.
Others reported suffering ear discomfort and dizziness.
One Facebook user said at the weekend: “I can still hear the noise even though all the doors are closed. This is ridiculous.”
Another internet user said the noise was so loud he had to take painkillers.
Some others online asked how far noise could travel and questioned why only residents in Wong Tai Sin could hear the music and not people across the entire Kowloon peninsula. The linear distance between Central and Wong Tai Sin is 8km.
The Environmental Protection Department said it had “paid close attention to various outdoor music events” held on the Central harbourfront and maintained communication with organisers.
“If excessive noise is detected from an event, the volume of the loudspeakers has to be adjusted,” a spokesman said.
Inspections on Saturday and Sunday near City Hall – close to the harbourfront site – and across the harbour at the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade, respectively, found no noise nuisance, he noted.
The department said it would follow up on the complaints, but could not confirm whether the complainants were from Wong Tai Sin and Tsz Wan Shan.
The department also confirmed that the festival organiser had applied for a temporary “places of public entertainment” licence.
The licence stipulates organisers monitor volume levels in noise-sensitive areas during the event, adjust the direction of the loudspeaker to avoid residential buildings and end the event before 11pm.
Police also said they had received several complaints about noise and music nuisance on Sunday night but could not identify the source.
Lo Kok-keung, a chartered mechanical engineer, said low-frequency noise could travel 8km. He also noted that Wong Tai Sin and Tsz Wan Shan were at a higher altitude than other parts of the Kowloon peninsula.
