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Clockenflap 2023’s best moments, in pictures: from big-namers Arctic Monkeys and Wu-tang Clan to Hybs, Sasha Alex Sloan and that Collar x RubberBand collaboration

Arctic Monkeys performing at Clockenflap, Hong Kong’s Music & Art Festival at Central Harbourfront, on March 3. Photo: Dickson Lee
Arctic Monkeys performing at Clockenflap, Hong Kong’s Music & Art Festival at Central Harbourfront, on March 3. Photo: Dickson Lee

  • Hong Kong’s beloved music and arts festival returned with a roaring comeback – and STYLE was there, hanging out backstage with the stars and papping your best festival fashion
  • Arctic Monkeys, once a bucket-list booking for Clockenflap’s co-founder Justin Sweeting, brought in the crowds on Friday night, but local talents 假日貞操 Virgin Vacation and Collar also rocked the stage

Here’s some good news: for Hong Kong’s music fans, Christmas really will come twice a year in 2023, with a second Clockenflap festival already announced – barely an hour after the curtain came down on the first event in more than four years. ICYMI, the city’s biggest music and arts festival will return to the Central Harbourfront from December 1-3.

But before we get to speculating about which A-listers will be jetting in to entertain the newly maskless city later this year, let’s take a moment to celebrate the best of the Clockenflap we just experienced, which wrapped after three days on Sunday, after attracting a record sell-out crowd which must have easily exceeded the 70,000 clocked in 2018 (stats were TBA at publishing).

Third day of Clockenflap, Hong Kong’s Music & Arts Festival at Central Harbourfront. Photo: Dickson Lee
Third day of Clockenflap, Hong Kong’s Music & Arts Festival at Central Harbourfront. Photo: Dickson Lee
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From the best-dressed punters to backstage vibes and those special musical moments that can magically unify a crowd of complete strangers, this is our wrap of the best photos from the weekend, courtesy of photographer Dickson Lee and our on-the-ground team.

Festival moments

Arctic Monkeys’ Friday night headline slot

Singer Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys performs at Clockenflap Music and Arts Festival day one at Central Harbourfront. Photo: Sun Yeung
Singer Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys performs at Clockenflap Music and Arts Festival day one at Central Harbourfront. Photo: Sun Yeung
Clockenflap co-founder and music director Justin Sweeting once said that Arctic Monkeys were one of his bucket-list bookings – alongside Radiohead and Stevie Wonder – and the dream came true for him and thousands of fans in Hong Kong on Friday night.

Arctic Monkeys performs at Clockenflap Music and Arts Festival day one at Central Harbourfront. Photo: Sun Yeung
Arctic Monkeys performs at Clockenflap Music and Arts Festival day one at Central Harbourfront. Photo: Sun Yeung

The Monkeys have just been confirmed to headline the UK’s trendsetting Glastonbury Festival, so the booking could not be more en-pointe.

Those wacky Birdmen