Reinventing Kai Tak: a move in touch with citizens?

Kai Tak as a region began as a humble international airport near Kowloon Bay before it was replaced by the Chek Lap Kok Airport. It served as Hong Kong airport from 1925 to 1998 and was the world's third busiest airport for international travel and cargo according to the Civil Aviation Department. After it was decommissioned in 1998, the region began development as a residential district until the Kai Tak sports park was proposed in 2014 by the Wong Tai Sin district council.

According to the 2024-25 budget speech, over 80 mega-events with various themes are scheduled to take place in the first half of the year, with HKD $100 million specifically designated for mega-events over the next three years.

The two main concert spaces attracting sizable crowds currently are the Hong Kong Coliseum and the AsiaWorld-Expo, which house an audience of between 10,000 to 20,000 seats.

“In terms of figures concerning venues, extremely popular concert venue like the Hong Kong Coliseum (HKC) has enjoyed close to 100 per cent occupancy over the past five years,” said Kevin Yeung, Secretary of the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Department in a government press release on the 24th of January. 

But prior to the development of Kai Tak, some residents believed that this was as good as it would get. “For Hong Kong, It’s [the event spaces] already a lot,” said Vaneda Sinthurat, a 21-year-old university student who has had her fair share of experiences in AsiaWorld-Expo and Hong Kong Coliseum.  But at the same time, “in the view of the fans, of course it’s not enough,” she said. 

Concerns about size is a general consensus amongst fans regarding the local concert space, “Hong Kong is just small. It’s tiny,” agrees Erin Chan, a 19-year-old university student. 

The limited space not only limits the fans, but the artists as well. Providing 50,000 seats, fans hope that Kai Tak stadium will attract major Western artists. “Bigger venues in general seem to cater to Western artists’ tours and show styles more,” says Zoe Anne, a K-Pop fan talking about the cultural differences between Western and K-pop performers. “With a bigger venue and higher capacity more artists will be able to plan and showcase more elaborate shows,” she said. 

“You’re limiting how an artist can perform in a smaller space and limiting the audience,” said Armeen, a local concert-goer. “It sorta already sets the bar lower when you think, ‘oh It’s going to be a small performance,’ in contrast to something in a bigger venue and bigger audience.” 

With the stadium aiming to open in the first half of 2025, music fans like Anne believe that Its “new” status would be able to bring more Western artists to HK. “Once more Western artists come here I feel like similarly to how it was with Asian artists, it’ll actually start to pick up,” she said. “You know a lot of people and artists would hopefully then say, Hong Kong will be a lot more trendy to visit.” 

However, in the sports scene, citizens are less welcoming to the changes that come with Kai Tak.

“I feel like it's a little bit weird since we already have a perfectly functioning stadium here in causeway bay, having two just feels kind of redundant.” Said Dennis Lo, a local in Causeway Bay. 

Moreover, With the 2024 Hong Kong sevens being the last in Hong Kong Stadium, many have been voicing their grievances regarding the closure.

“It’s sad. The [Hong Kong] sevens has been in Hong Kong stadium for years, with the iconic south stand and the atmosphere and everything,” said Lo, when asked about his feelings about the last Hong Kong sevens. “The culture, the atmosphere is something you can’t forget, and I’m not sure how they will replicate that in Kai Tak,” he said. 

“Mostly what I’ve seen is that larger K-pop groups normally go to Macau since the facilities and venues there are way bigger,” said Anne.

While Macau stands smaller than Hong kong geographically, their concert and venue space according to Anne is a lot bigger. “Even if Macau is smaller than Hong Kong, the stadium is still way bigger. And it doesn't make sense why they [the idol group] didn't also tour here if they went to Macau so it definitely has something to do with the venue,” she said. 

Concerns regarding local venue spaces are resounding among locals. 

The concert culture in the city to most music fans remains small. “We don’t really get included in a lot of big world tours,” said Maryam Amreen, a 19-year-old Med student from the University of Hong Kong. 

In response to the issue, some fans have taken matters into their own hands, traveling out of Hong Kong to catch the performances of their favorite artists. “Major artists definitely are less likely to come here. Hong Kong is a great city, we have everything, but our venues are smaller and everything is crowded,” said Chan, who took the initiative to fly out of Hong Kong to Japan for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. 

To travel out of Hong Kong includes paying for flight tickets, hotel services, and daily expenses. “I like that I was lucky enough to make a vacation of it, and that I had enough time,” admits Chan. “But I do recognise how it would make it easier for their budget if there was an available option in Hong Kong,” she said. 

Locals traveling away for entertainment is a cause for concern for the government, as Hong Kong aims to become a “premier destination for business and tourism.”

While mega-events look to build Hong Kong's Western identity, Chinese identity remains within the local infrastructure. For Sports Park, the retention of its roots and heritage as an airport is imperative.

“One of the parts [sports park developers] always emphasize is the history” Said Tsang, “Kai Tak used to be Hong Kong airport, so they still want to preserve those historical stories,” she said. 

With most foreign artists performing in venues such as the Hong Kong Coliseum and AsiaWorld-Expo, many do not get to experience the city.

“I do think being outside of the airport does allow artists who visit to have a chance to explore the city which may be cool,” says Joshua Wan, a Taiwanese musician born in Hong Kong. “Only some artists do that, their concerts are in the middle of the city. Versus being stuck at the airport and leaving immediately,” he says.  

To offer both locals and tourists a deeper understanding of the park's design and development, an experience center has been established in Kowloon Bay.

Every time I visit, they will have a storyboard that showcases interesting history and facts.” Said Tsang, “I get the impression that they tried to preserve the history, while pioneering and innovating the sports aspect [for the stadium], and I think they are trying to merge the two,” she said. 

With a staggering investment of HKD $30 billion, the government's commitment to the park and its infrastructure has not gone unnoticed by local athletes.

"I know the government has invested a lot in the infrastructure part. I remember hearing there will be some interesting technology there," Tsang mentioned. “"I think that what's being put together has the potential to elevate sport in Hong Kong,” she said.

Moreover, with the development of Kai Tak, some individuals perceive it as an indication of the sports the government sees potential in.

"Kai Tak doesn't have a swimming pool. When you put in such effort and investment, you probably will evaluate what sports you want to develop," said Tsang. "Smaller sports might not receive as much effort because they don't have international results, but you can look at fencing and swimming. Swimming, we have results. So, it's interesting that there's no pool in Kai Tak," she commented.

While the success of Kai Tak’s Sports Park remains to be seen, cultivating an immersive culture seems to be in the government's plans. 

“[the development] is a good thing, a good move,” said Tsang. “It's a long term thing, about culture. You need to build a culture to make sports develop in the community or city,” she concluded.