Latest news with #WestKowloonCulturalDistrict
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Climate
- South China Morning Post
High spirits as Hong Kong's Dragon Boat Festival kicks off amid strong winds
Hong Kong dragon boat racers are in high spirits for Tuen Ng Festival, despite strong winds, with tourism authorities expecting a 14 per cent increase in mainland Chinese visitors compared with previous weekends. A tourism spot, where the Stanley International Dragon Boat Championship is taking place, was packed with racing teams and residents on Saturday morning. 'The weather today is a little windy, which may affect our performance,' said Alan Chan, team captain of the West Kowloon Cultural District's Dragon Boat team. 'Given the wind, there could be big waves when we go out to the sea later, which would affect our results. The waves were not that big when we practised. We will do our best.' The team, joining the competition at Stanley Main Beach for the first time, said they had completed seven two-hour lessons to prepare for the event. While some may view the weather as an obstacle, others believe it can give them a boost.
South China Morning Post
15-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong arts hub records 19% visitor surge, welcoming 15 million in 2024
Hong Kong's premier arts hub welcomed over 15 million visitors last year, marking a 19 per cent increase from the previous year's estimate, with local events and international collaborations planned to further boost visitor numbers. Advertisement The West Kowloon Cultural District also announced on Thursday that it had already seen at least 400,000 visitors since the beginning of April, thanks to activities during long weekends such as Easter and mainland China's 'golden week' holiday in early May The series of events at the arts hub is part of an initiative to attract more visitors and revenue as it continues to find ways to ease its financial strain and reduce its operating deficit, with measures including the sale of 1,995 residential flats on site. 'Summing up 2024, over 1,300 events took place at the cultural district including exhibitions and performances, among which 500 were private events from venue rentals, attracting over 15 million visitors,' said Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee, CEO of the arts hub. The managing authority commissioned an impact study and found a conservative estimate of 12.6 million visitors had visited the cultural district in 2023 which was likely lower than the actual number, according to a spokesperson. Advertisement They added that the methodology of counting visitor numbers had changed in the past year to rely more heavily on a new system with sensors across the district put in place for 'more accurate' figures. In March and April alone this year, the cultural district saw 3.8 million visitors to its various offerings such as the 'Picasso for Asia: A Conversation' exhibition, the announcement of the Hong Kong China Rugby Sevens Team, and the WestK FunFest.
South China Morning Post
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong cultural hub to stage inaugural arts week in Shanghai in June
Hong Kong's West Kowloon Cultural District will stage its inaugural arts week in Shanghai in June, potentially paving the way for similar deals with other mainland Chinese cities. Advertisement The authority behind the arts hub will host the WestK Shanghai Week, which will involve seven cultural and artistic programmes to be held between June 18 and 22. West Kowloon Cultural District Authority CEO Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee told the Post earlier this month that the Shanghai week would serve as a platform to promote Hong Kong's arts, culture and tourism. 'Other than cultural exchanges, we are going to market the Hong Kong brand and attract Shanghai tourists to come to the city,' she said. 'If it works well, we can go to other mainland cities or even overseas cities to do the same thing.' She said the event was supported by Shanghai's municipal government and the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism. Hong Kong's Economic Trade Office in Shanghai and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau were also providing their support. Advertisement Fung said Hong Kong would be able to show off its home-grown works during the event. She gave the example of the Cantonese musical The Impossible Trial, which would be shown in Shanghai between June 17 and 29.
