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Sammy Heung

Danny Mok

A drone show to mark the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China was cancelled in Hong Kong on Monday night due to a severe interference with the signals, the government said.
The announcement was only made at around 9.30pm, about an hour after the drone show was supposed to start at the West Kowloon Cultural District.
Clips of the rehearsal were played on a large screen instead, leaving many spectators disappointed, with some complaining the announcement of the cancellation was unclear and they missed it.
“Before the show commenced, the contractor said the drone signal was severely interfered with because of technical reasons,” a spokeswoman for the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau said.
“Although all units have tried their best to deal with it, it has not been fixed. We apologise to all the affected guests, performing students and groups who have been waiting.”

According to the bureau, East Union Foundation Limited was the organiser of the drone show.
Thousands of people had converged on the cultural hub to wait for the National Day-themed show, which included a 1,000-strong choir of local students.
The organiser was to launch 2,099 drones showcasing the country’s aspirations and achievements through the themes of “Standing Up”, “Growing Prosperous” and “Becoming Strong”.
As the Cantonese announcement was made shortly before rehearsal clips were played on the large screen set up in a public viewing area, many audience members missed the message and kept looking around for the drones.
“We’d like to apologise to everyone as there was a small technical problem before the show started. The organiser did its best to amend it,” the host said, without stating the drone show was cancelled. “We will play the rehearsal footage in the programme.”
Some visitors complained to the Post that the announcement was not clear enough.
Two British tourists who said their names were Wilf and Liz said they only realised the show had been cancelled when they saw people leave.
“Really disappointed,” Liz, a 28-year-old scientist, said. “We were looking forward to seeing the drones, especially as they were saying [there would be] 2,099 drones. I thought it was gonna be spectacular.”
Organisers chose to use 2,099 drones, the sum of “75” and the year “2024”.
“We didn’t hear any announcements in English, which is fine obviously. We’re in China,” Liz said. “But we were so confused and wandering around.”
Liu Huan, a 52-year-old finance worker from Beijing, said she and her family only learned of the cancellation 10 minutes before the show ended.
“I think the staff could have notified us earlier. I also heard people scolding them,” she said.
A 25-year-old local resident who called herself Sumi was still waiting to watch her first drone show when she was told about the cancellation by a Post reporter.
“I feel sad. We have waited here since 6.30pm,” the kitchen worker said. “We were wondering why all the people left … Maybe if they had told us a bit earlier at the beginning, around 9pm or 8.30pm.”

Andy Yeung King-sheung, also known as Sky Yeung, chairman of the DNT FPV Drone Association Hong Kong, China and a consultant for the show, said there was significant ionospheric interference, which affected the accuracy of GPS signals used to fly the devices.
Ionospheric interference was linked to solar activity and was unpredictable, Yeung said, adding he was in discussions about how to manage the situation on-site.
Hundreds of spectators arrived at the viewing area as early as 7.30pm with many bringing picnic blankets.
After being delayed for 45 minutes, the programme opened with youth members of the disciplined services marching to the stage while other children played the drums. They were then joined by a wushu and Chinese dance demonstration.
No 2 official Eric Chan Kwok-ki gave a speech before singer turned politician Cally Kwong Mei-wan sang the patriotic education theme song “Our Home”.
The show was among roughly 400 activities scheduled by the government to celebrate National Day this year.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung earlier said the government hoped the public would better understand China’s achievements through the “enriching and interactive” performance.
The city is due to hold another drone show on Tuesday night as part of October 1 fireworks celebrations.
Additional reporting by Lo Hoi-ying


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Thousands of people, including many tourists, had gathered for spectacle at West Kowloon Cultural District


Thousands of people, including many tourists, had gathered for spectacle at West Kowloon Cultural District.


Hong Kong tourism

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