Hong Kong’s night scene: a tour of city’s evening hotspots reveals what’s hot and what’s not as consumers weigh in on what will get it alive and kicking again
- City is struggling to revive nightlife as it grapples with shifting tourism patterns, changed spending habits and economic slowdown after emerging from pandemic
- Young people remain lukewarm to nightlife, stores are closing earlier and residents are drawn to other destinations such as Shenzhen, Tokyo and Seoul
On a balmy September evening, a dozen people stepped off their ride on the Ferris wheel on Hong Kong’s harbourfront and shuffled past snack vendors on their way to the exit.
It was 8.45pm but two of the three shops had already wrapped up business for the day, ignoring their own listed closing time of 9pm. It made little sense to stay open anyway – the eye-popping lights along the massive Observation Wheel would soon go dark for the night, and no one was expecting the last ride to carry anywhere close to its 336-person capacity.
Not far away, a young German couple, Tobias and Halina, posed patiently for a paid photograph against the backdrop of skyscrapers, vaulting upwards into the clouds and crowned by the distant glow of some of Asia’s priciest mansions on The Peak, a snapshot souvenir of their first visit to the city. But instead of discussing where to go next, they began to head back to their hotel.
“Hong Kong is a beautiful city at night, but there doesn’t seem to be much to do,” said the 31-year old Tobias.
A few hours later and several train stops away, in Causeway Bay, a group of about a dozen university-aged students were seen rehearsing a dance routine outside shuttered stores in the city’s pre-eminent shopping district.
Janice Lau Tsz-ching, 20, told the Post they got together once a week to perform as a hobby and promote Hong Kong street culture, but lately they had been receiving noise complaints from nearby residents.
“These stores used to stay open until midnight, but people have gotten used to them closing at 8 or 9pm,” she said. “It’s kind of sad.”
