The ‘City
of Life’ lives by night – most popular hot
spots don’t even get going until midnight. Enterprising Sinophiles
can try to get an invitation to tag along to a local karaoke night
out and warble into a mike, over buckets of beer, to Cantonese pop
videos, or try one of the fabulous local discos in darkest Kowloon.
Lan Kwai Fong, the popular square inch of Central
with the most liberal drinking hours and the most intense partying,
is now losing its popularity to other locations and its main developers
are now expanding further afield to Shanghai. Soho
(‘South of Hollywood Road’) is a bit more chic and relaxed
concentration of chill-out spots, just off the Mid-Levels Escalator.
Chinese locals seem to favour Tsim Sha Tsui, dotted
with bars and clubs. And anyone desiring such things will be happy
to hear that they can find action in the girlie bars and joints
of Wan Chai – haven of many a poor Filipino
or Thai peasant maiden. Despite the ridiculously strict noise level
restrictions on open-air events – testament that well-connected
locals have huge clout with city hall – live music is also
very popular and well catered for. Check the free listings in BC
Magazine and HK Magazine for current information.
Opening hours in Hong Kong vary from location to location and many
have restrictive dress codes and entrance policies, particularly
in the smarter clubs. Some Lan Kwai Fong venues
remain open all night long, in contrast to Soho,
where the authorities placate local residents by ordering bars to
close around 2400 on weekday and 0200 at weekends.High drinks prices
are almost uniformly constant – often at least HK$40 for a
glass of beer or wine. Bar owners attribute this on high rates –
extortionate property prices effect prices in every department.
Bars often compensate by offering happy hours, with two-for-one
or 1/2-price deals before 20:00 or 21:00.. The legal minimum
drinking age in Hong Kong’s public bars is
18 years.
Bars
Escalator watchers will enjoy people watching in terrace-like comfort
at Stauntons, 12 Staunton Street, the prime Soho-watching
place. Mes Amis, 81–85 Lockhart Road, is
the most layed-back and civilized of the Wan Chai bars. Drinkers
looking for a more raw experience should try Dusk Till Dawn,
76 Jaffe Road. La Vie, 9a Sharp Street, is among
the more chic venues in Causeway Bay’s classy bar strip. The
staple venue of Lan Kwai Fong, Insomnia,
38–44 D’Aguilar Street, creates a quality atmosphere
with its stonework and Florentine-style loggia, that contrasts with
Filipino girl bands and relentless disco. Agave,
33 D’Aguilar Street, just opposite, offers a fine selection
of margaritas and tequilas – a staple during the hot summer
months. The Fong, a short walk down at 34–36
D’Aguilar Street, is an upmarket bar-restaurant. California,
30–32 Lan Kwai Fong, long the destination of investment bankers
and the women they attract, has recently been refurbished, while
2121, at 21 D’Aguilar Street, has an exclusive
and relaxed vantage point over the Lan Kwai Fong. Over in Kowloon,
Rick’s Café, 4 Hart Avenue, has unbelievably
e long queues on Saturday night, which have to count for something.
Casinos
There are no casinos in Hong Kong;
instead they are all located in Macau, a 50-minute
jetfoil ride away, which is a famous gambler’s paradise
(see Excursions). Jetfoils operate all night just
to service the Chinese passion for gambling. Passports are
required for both the trip and the casinos – the
minimum age is 21 years. Gambling in Macau is not
suited for the young or the faint hearted. Macau boasts nine casinos
in total, with dress codes varying from smart casual to formal.
Among the best casinos include the Hotel Lisboa and Casino,
2–4 Avenida de Lisboa, Macao City, the Mandarin Oriental
Hotel and Casino, 956–1110 Avenida da Amizade, Macao
City, and the Hyatt Regency & Taipa Resort,
2 Estrada Almirante Marques Esparteiro, Taipa Island. However, the
increasing trend is for major international chains to down play
down their gambling facilities and promote a broader spa-and-convention
strategy.
More adventurous types can always try one of the discreet but popular
Star Cruises ‘leisure’
cruises into international waters (tel: 2317 7711; fax: 2317 5551;
email: sales@starcruises.com.hk),
specifically packaged to drop references to gambling and a very
Chinese experience.
Clubs
Dragon-I, in the upper ground floor of the
newly built development, The Centrium, above Lan
Kwai Fong, 60 Wyndham Street, is the new venue of the stars; socially
exclusive however, surprisingly ordinary. C Club,
30–32 Lan Kwai Fong, is still Lan Kwai Fong’s most reliable
dance venue. Liquid, 1–5 Elgin Street, stays
open till 04:00 in crowded Soho, by creatively soundproofing itself
with a big metal airlock. Drop, 39–43 Hollywood
Road, directly down the hill, under the escalator, is another late-night
spot with an exclusive door policy and hugely overpriced drinks.
The timid should avoid Joe Bananas, 23 Luard Road,
a pick-up joint par excellence and haven for cheesy model nights,
where leggy Suzie Wongs cruise fat cats in three-piece suits. JJ’s,
in the Grand Hyatt Hotel, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, has a like rep
and crowd. Meanwhile, One-Fifth, at Starcrest,
9 Star Street, is on a higher on the scale of Wan Chai nightlife.
Club Ing, 4F Convention Plaza, 1 Harbour Road,
Wan Chai, is a very inconsistent glass and chrome hotel disco still,
its Thursday hip-hop ‘Ladies’ Night’
is a favourite for ex-pat teens and the businessmen who love them.
Live music
What passes for rock music in Hong Kong can be usually found at
the Hong Kong International Trade and Exhibition Centre
(HITEC), 1 Trademart Drive, Kowloon Bay, or the
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Expo
Drive. Filipino live bands, from very good to unbearable, swarm
across Hong Kong – Dusk Till Dawn, 76 Jaffe
Road, has among the best, while its strongest nearby competition
is The Wanch, 54 Jaffe Road. The Edge, in The
Centrium, 60 Wyndham Street, has recently added roster
of Filipino band venues to it's roster. The Jazz Club,
34–36 D’Aguilar Street, plays much more than just trad
and offers a more civilized atmosphere.
Music
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
(tel: 2721 2030) is the town ensemble and its frequent performances
at corporate galas at least finance a full year-round programme.
The company is resident at the Hong
Kong Cultural Centre, 10 Salisbury Road (tel: 2734 2009), from
September to July. It is backed by the Hong
Kong Chinese Orchestra (tel: 3185 1600). Visiting orchestras
of varying standards regularly tour through Hong Kong. The Hong
Kong Academy for Performing Arts, 1 Gloucester Road (tel: 2584
8500), also hosts frequent concerts. Traditional Chinese
opera is offered at the China Club, 13F
Old Bank of China Building, Bank Street (tel: 2521 8888). It is
not easy to obtain an entrée here but it is well worth trying,
if only to admire the modern chinese art display.
Theatre
The Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts (see above),
the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (see above) and the
Hong Kong Arts Centre, Upper
Basement, 2 Harbour Road, Wan Chai (tel: 2582 0200), are staples
of high theatrical culture. The Star Alliance Theatre,
Fringe Club, South Block,
Lower Albert Road, Central (tel: 2521 7251), offers many of the
more wacky acts.
Dance
Hong Kong’s classical ballet troupe is the Hong
Kong Ballet (tel: 2573 7398) and the best venues include the
Hong Kong Cultural Centre (see above) and the Ko
Shan Theatre, 77 Ko Shan Road, Hunghom, Kowloon (tel: 2330
5661). The Hong Kong Dance Company
(tel: 3103 1888) offers a traditional Chinese repertoire, while
the City Contemporary Dance Company
(tel: 2326 8597) is the much more modern dance ensemble. Both perform
at many venues.
Film
Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan are still the much-imitated idols of the
local film industry, however production lately has diversified into
more reflective fare. Meanwhile, John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat sky-rocketed
the Cantonese gangster genre into A Better Tomorrow
(1986). The UA and Golden Harvest cinema chains
are Hong Kong’s major screening venues. Their main multiplexes
include UA Pacific Place, 1 Pacific Place, 88 Queensway,
Admiralty (tel: 2869 0322), UA Times Square, Times
Square, Causeway Bay (tel: 2506 2822), and Golden Gateway
Multiplex, The Gateway, 25 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui (tel:
2956 3428).
English-language movies are usually shown in the original language
with Cantonese subtitles, but some screenings are dubbed. Likewise,
Cantonese-language films almost always have English subtitles. Arthouse
films are usually screened at the Lim Por Yen Film Theatre,
in the Hong Kong Arts Centre (see above).
Cultural events
The Hong Kong Arts Festival
(tel: 2824 3555), mainly based out of Hong Kong City Hall, is the
official yearly catch-all jamboree of events, with international
acts and a large variety of events, takes place from February to
March. A little earlier, in January through February, is the City
Festival, which showcases local acts. Sponsored by the
Fringe Club, it now rivals its respectable brother in variety and
content and arguably exceeding it in entertainment value. The Festival
of Asian Arts, in October/November, brings together the
traditional arts of the region, sometimes dovetailing with the Hong
Kong Folk Festival in November. The Hong
Kong Youth Arts Festival runs from October to December. |
