Hong Kong welcomes back Clockenflap festival after 4 years of cancellations
- Concertgoers gather outside entrance of festival venue Central Harbourfront Event Space, just days after city lifts indoor, outdoor mask-wearing rules
- ‘We’ve got an amazing audience coming and we don’t need to wear a mask this time,’ says festival managing director Mike Hill
Hong Kong’s largest outdoor music festival returned with a big fanfare on Friday after four years of cancellations as visitors from mainland China and overseas returned in big numbers after the city’s Covid-19 mask restrictions were axed.
The Clockenflap Music and Arts Festival, an iconic three-day entertainment event held since 2008, kicked off at the Central Harbourfront Event Space just days after Hong Kong axed its mask mandate.
One of the highlights of the show was the Arctic Monkeys’ performance and their set captivated the audience of thousands.
An hour before the performance started at 9pm, fans started to gather from different corners of the site. The audience stretched from the stage almost to the exit several hundred metres away.
Kiona Thompson, a woman in her 20s, got into the festival at around 8pm , excited to see the Arctic Monkeys after a long wait in a queue.