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Lo Hoi-ying

About 18,000 music fans descended on the soon-to-open Kai Tak Stadium for a concert on Saturday in the first non-sports trial run at Hong Kong’s newest venue.
The 1½-hour “Four in Love” charity concert at the 50,000-seat stadium in Kai Tak Sports Park started after 6.30pm, more than 30 minutes later than the scheduled 6pm, and ended at around 8pm.
With the concert featuring singers Jay Fung Wan-him, Cloud Wan Ho-ying and Jace Chan Hoi-wing, as well as local band Dear Jane, the stadium was hosting its biggest crowd yet ahead of a packed calendar of major events in the coming months.
The show was among a series of trials at the park, which opens in March.
Fung said he was elated to be the first singer to ever take the stage in the stadium, which will be the city’s biggest venue, and took a selfie with the audience to mark the moment.
Dear Jane closed the show, with the audience singing along and waving their hands in the air.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui was seen switching between different sections of the stand during the concert.
Sports commissioner George Tsoi Kin-pan said during a post-show briefing that one of the two escalators servicing the upper parts of the spectator stands broke down at around 5.45pm, causing a bottleneck of around 100 people.
“As the capacity of the escalator had decreased, we decided to implement crowd-control measures, causing the bottleneck,” he said.
“We decided to delay the show by half an hour to ensure that members of the audience who arrived punctually would not miss the show due to the escalator fault.”
Only one-third of the stadium seats were used for the concert.
Among the 18,000 crowd, around 4,000 were seated in the stadium’s lawn area to simulate arrangements for coming major shows.

Snacks were priced between HK$18 (US$2.30) and HK$78, while drinks started at HK$35.
Sung Wong Toi and Kai Tak MTR stations were both lined with at least 20 signs directing people towards Kai Tak Sports Park.
Dozens of vacuum flasks and water bottles were left on temporary shelves outside the stadium as bringing in food and drinks and even empty water bottles was banned for safety reasons.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung also visited before the concert. Tang said authorities had provided recycling and rubbish bins for the public to dispose of their plastic bottles after feedback from the previous event.
“Many venues around the world have also prohibited water bottles for safety reasons,” Tang said.
He said people could check in their bags at designated counters if they did not want to leave their bottles out in the open.
Spectator Karine Wong, in her 20s, said the stadium was impressive and the sound system was clear but a bit booming as she sat near the speakers.
“The show was very enjoyable and the audience was very lively,” she said.
A Jay Fung fan surnamed Leung said she was excited to watch a concert inside the stadium for the first time after hearing about it for so long.
She said the signage from Kai Tak MTR station leading her to the stadium was clear, while the 10-minute walk was comfortable and not too crowded.
She said she arrived less than an hour before the concert started and did not have time to explore the neighbouring Kai Tak Mall. The shopping centre, which is still not fully open, had a steady flow of customers but was not packed.
A gift shop assistant named Marco said footfall in the mall did not increase much despite the large concert.
“It feels even less crowded than the weekend before Christmas,” he said, adding that the concert started at an unusual time and he hoped people would visit the mall after it.
Kai Tak Stadium held its first test event earlier this month when it hosted the University Sports Federation of Hong Kong, China’s rugby sevens tournament finals, featuring 17 teams and about 10,000 spectators.
British rock band Coldplay will play four shows there on April 8, 9, 11 and 12, followed by two concerts by Cantopop star and actor Nicholas Tse Ting-fung on April 25 and 26. In June, Taiwanese megastar Jay Chou will perform for three nights.


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Hong Kong’s new Kai Tak Stadium rocking as 18,000 fans watch trial concert

Singer Jay Fung performing at Kai Tai Sports Park’s main stadium. Photo: Edmond So

Local band Dear Jane closed the show with the 18,000 crowd singing along and waving their hands in the air. Photo: Edmond So

Hong Kong’s Nicholas Tse to put on 2 Kai Tak concerts soon after Coldplay

Nicholas Tse will put on two concerts in late April at the new Kai Tak Stadium. Photo: Weibo/锋味

The shows will be held at the 50,000-seat stadium in Kai Tak Sports Park. Photo: Eugene Lee

Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park set to host audience of 18,000 at trial concert

The main stadium at Kai Tak Sports Park will host the largest trial event to date, with an estimated crowd of 18,000 expected at a concert on Saturday. Photo: Eugene Lee

Jay Fung will perform alongside Cloud Wan, Jace Chan and local band Dear Jane at Saturday’s trial concert. Photo: Facebook/Jay Fung

News

Hong Kong

The 1½-hour ‘Four in Love’ charity concert was the first non-sports trial event at the new venue


The 1½-hour ‘Four in Love’ charity concert was the first non-sports trial event at the new venue.
