Latest news with #KaiTakArena
HKFP
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- HKFP
Hong Kong parody musician Sunny Lam axes concert after ‘careful consideration'
Hong Kong parody singer-songwriter Sunny Lam, known for his satires on current affairs, has called off an upcoming concert after 'careful consideration.' Lam, who has 151,000 followers on Facebook and 122,000 followers on Instagram, announced on Friday that his two-day show – translated into English as 'Sunny Lam Birthday Concert in Hong Kong' – would be cancelled. In a post shared on his social media accounts, Lam said the decision to axe the concert, scheduled for Sunday and Monday, was made 'after careful consideration.' Those who purchased tickets would be contacted within seven working days for a refund, the musician added. 'We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience and disappointment this cancellation may cause and kindly ask for your understanding,' his post read. 'Thank you for your understanding and support. We will continue to work hard and look forward to seeing you again in the near future.' The concert was set to take place at Lau Bak Freespace Livehouse inside the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD). Lam originally planned to host one show on Sunday only but added a second show after tickets sold out within a day in early May. Some netizens said the cancellation was 'expected,' while others urged Lam and his team to consider moving the concert online instead. According to Lam's YouTube channel, the musician began sharing songs he wrote on the video-sharing platform in November 2009. Many of his works are parody songs about political and social events in Hong Kong. His most popular hit, with 1.3 million views, was a song published in August 2022 about lawmaker Eunice Yung and her father-in-law Elmer Yuen, who has a HK$1 million bounty on his head for alleged national security offences. The song, based on the 1991 Cantonese hit 'Queen's Rd. East,' depicts the conflicts between Yung, a pro-establishment politician, and self-exiled activist Yuen, who stands accused of colluding with foreign forces and committing subversion by requesting sanctions on Hong Kong government officials and judicial officers. Yuen, who left Hong Kong in June 2020 before the national security law was enacted, was also said to have launched a 'referendum' to form 'The Hong Kong Parliament,' which Hong Kong authorities say aims to achieve self-determination and subvert state power. In recent months, Lam has also written songs about the US tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, the controversial ports deal by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing's conglomerate CK Hutchison, and Kai Tak Arena's decision in March to kick dozens of snooker fans out of the facility before a match at the World Grand Prix concluded. Past cancellations Musicians in Hong Kong have encountered venue cancellations for their shows. In December, Cantopop singer Pong Nan, known for his support for the 2019 extradition bill protests, announced he would scrap his concert due to a venue cancellation by the WKCD. The WKCD told HKFP at the time that it had no comment on the hiring arrangements for any individual events. In May last year, activist-singer Denise Ho announced that she would move her performance online after being unable to secure a live venue. Police showed up during the online gig. The singer, who was arrested in 2021 in connection with the Stand News sedition case, said it was very difficult for her to do a 'normal show' in an 'abnormal place.'
South China Morning Post
20-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Krygios, Zheng lead star-studded UTS Hong Kong showdown in October
Nick Kyrgios and Zhang Zhizhen will be among a host of stars at the UTS Hong Kong tennis tournament in October, organisers have announced. Advertisement The global tennis tournament is making its Asia leg debut in Hong Kong this year and will take place on October 14-15 at Kai Tak Arena. Born to a Malaysian mother, Australian player Kyrgios said he is excited to be part of the first event on the continent. 'I'm super excited about being part of UTS Hong Kong,' Kyrgios said. 'UTS is such a blast to play in. It's pretty wild for us and for the fans and I love it. 'I'm also really proud of my Malaysian heritage and I've always loved playing in Asia so to be able to play UTS in a great city like Hong Kong is going to be really, really special.' Advertisement But the 2022 Wimbledon finalist will not be the only big name on show in the city.
South China Morning Post
12-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong Olympic champion Cheung Ka-long, other top fencers to skip Challenge Cup event
Olympic champion Cheung Ka-long might not compete at Kai Tak Arena before Hong Kong co-hosts the National Games in November after his name was omitted from the entries for this month's Challenge Cup Fencing Championships. Advertisement Cheung was not the only big name missing from the line-up for the annual local event – which will double as the test event for the Games – at the arena on May 31 and June 1. Hong Kong's top men's and women's epeeists, Cedric Ho Wai-hang and Kaylin Hsieh Sin-yan, will also be absent. However, promising names including men's and women's foilists Leung Chin-yu and Daphne Chan Nok-sze, and men's sabreist Royce Chan Lok-hei, were among the 374 fencers listed for the open category. Greg Koenig, the city's foil team head coach, said Cheung was not on the list, which was updated on Friday, because the Challenge Cup clashed with other tournaments. 'This competition is quite close to the Asian Championships [from June 19 to 22 in Bali] and it's not critical for his ranking, so I'll preserve him to be fully prepared,' the Frenchman said. Promising Hong Kong foilist Daphne Chan is among those taking part in the Challenge Cup. Photo: Elson Li The city's men's foil team will also compete in the Grand Prix in Shanghai from Friday to Sunday, while the men's épée team has just completed a Grand Prix event in Bogota, Colombia.
South China Morning Post
26-03-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Why lack of clear vision is holding back Northern Metropolis' future
Hong Kong recently celebrated a significant milestone: the grand opening of the Kai Tak Stadium . On a weekend as I jogged past the venue, the Kai Tak Run – the sport park's first running event – was in full swing. Hundreds of participants embarked on a route winding around the youth park, the main stadium, Kai Tak Arena and the retail complex. The atmosphere was electric. Advertisement What struck me most was how the area around the sports ground has emerged. New residential towers have risen, a sprawling shopping centre has opened for business and the MTR's Sung Wong Toi and Kai Tak stations now connect the area to the rest of the city. Nearby, the construction of transitional public housing and the juxtaposition of old airport runway sites with the cruise terminal paint a vivid picture of a district in transition. Since the launch of the Kai Tak Development Plan, the vision for this area has gradually come to life. Today, Kai Tak stands as a modern hub blending sports, arts and tourism, with its sleek aesthetic contrasting sharply with the historical features and ageing charm of the neighbouring Kowloon City . Past and future converge beneath the shadow of the Lion Rock, showcasing Hong Kong's unique urban diversity. Kai Tak is just one piece of a larger puzzle. In recent years, the government has rolled out multiple regional development plans, including the Northern Metropolis and the Lantau artificial island project . While these initiatives differ in scale and location, they share a common goal: reimagine specific areas through strategic land use and industrial reconfiguration. However, the success of such developments hinges not just on location but on clear, cohesive planning. Without a well-defined vision, these projects risk becoming little more than clusters of real estate ventures which are devoid of distinctive character. In particular, the Northern Metropolis leaves much to be desired here. Touted as Hong Kong's new growth engine, the Northern Metropolis is meant to complement the city's industrial strategy. Yet, beyond the San Tin Technopole and the Lok Ma Chau Loop, the tech-driven vision for the area remains underdeveloped.
South China Morning Post
24-03-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Kai Tak venue fiasco must not be repeated at Hong Kong Sevens
To become a mega-events city , Hong Kong needs more than just the venues to host these events. We need people who know how to operate them and a government that facilitates these events. Advertisement Officials seem to think that we are all set after the completion of Kai Tak Sports Park and the 50,000-seat stadium. Well, we're not quite there yet. The opening ceremony for the stadium went well enough, except for touts who got people into the venue through the back door without a valid ticket. These people didn't go through security checks, either. This serious breach prompted an investigation and raised questions over whether the management is up to running a venue of this scale. Then came the World Grand Prix, where Hong Kong snooker fans were kicked out while a match was in progress because of a curfew imposed by the venue. The Kai Tak Arena made an announcement citing 'local curfew rules in place for the venue'. The incident, which made headlines around the world, could have been avoided. Basically, it came down to a communications breakdown as messages were not passed to the right people. That means it was a low-level error for which the city paid a high price. The incident was not only embarrassing, it also called into question the competence of the government and the venue management – with the doubts broadcast to the rest of the world. The issue of an 11pm closing time for some public spaces came up in January. Lawmaker Yim Kwong raised the question , noting its potential to deter mega-events and asking whether authorities had reviewed the restrictions on opening hours for sports and performing arts or made flexible arrangements at the request of event organisers.
