Bylaw and Guidelines

We hope that all visitors are able to enjoy themselves at the Art Park and other open areas around West Kowloon, without overriding or interfering with management. The Bylaw is necessary to ensure public safety and that the activities of individual park users do not cause excessive disturbance to other users. We enforce the Bylaw in all public open spaces across West Kowloon, including the Art Park, Artist Square, the M+ podium, Xiqu Square, the Avenue and the waterfront promenade. 

Our frontline management team plays an important role in facilitating the safe and enjoyable use of the Art Park and public open spaces. Our frontline staff are properly trained and familiar with West Kowloon’s public space management policy. They will enforce the Bylaw and devise procedures and operation guidelines when necessary, depending on circumstances.

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority drafted the Bylaw after seeking the opinions of different stakeholders, including the Legislative Council, all 18 District Councils (Yau Tsim Mong, in particular), the Authority’s diverse Consultation Panel, street performers, arts and cultural groups, the Hong Kong Police Force and representatives of nearby residents. We also made reference to the existing laws and management of local and overseas parks, pleasure grounds and places of amusement in places such as Australia, China, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Taiwan. 

In 2015, we uploaded the draft Bylaw and guidelines to our website to inform the public and collect feedback. After giving your feedback careful consideration, we submitted the Bylaw to the Legislative Council for vetting. The Bylaw was gazetted in June 2016.

For safety, we implement crowd control at the Art Park and public open spaces when necessary. 

A person must not light any fires, barbecue or cook food in a public open space. Camping will only be allowed with a permit under specific circumstances. The Art Park and public open spaces should be welcoming and accessible for all, and we manage them in a way that encourages a wide range of uses and activities within shared spaces while respecting and balancing the needs of different users. The Bylaw provides the West Kowloon District Authority with the minimum powers necessary to regulate conduct or activities relevant to West Kowloon’s operations. 

Of course! Our lawns were designed for public enjoyment and we hire experts to maintain them. 

No. The Bylaw provides the Authority with the minimum necessary powers to regulate conduct or activities relevant to the operation of the WKCD. 

Kites can be flown as long as they do not break Hong Kong aviation safety laws. The string must be kept to 50m or shorter. 

We welcome all pets at the Art Park as long as they are leashed, kept under control and are not a nuisance to other park goers.

Our security staff and surveillance cameras keep the Art Park and public open spaces under watch.  

We regulate filming and photography to safeguard the interests of other park goers. Understandably, professional filming and photography generally involve a certain amount of equipment, personnel and space required. To ensure that the use of space is properly managed, you will need to apply for a permit. Persons who carry out any commercial filming or photography without approval, as required by the Bylaw and guidelines, may be required to stop and obtain a permit before they can resume their activities. Amateur filming or photography, or filming or photography for news and current affairs programmes, do not require permits. 

Amateur individuals and groups are most welcome to take wedding photos at West Kowloon. However, commercial wedding photographers who wish to use the Art Park or public areas for photoshoots will be required to register for a one-year permit and pay a small administrative charge. 

You are free to organise activities that involve fewer than 30 participants without approval as long as the activities do not interfere with daily park operations and the enjoyment of other Park visitors. Organisers of activities that exceed 30 participants will be required to ask for approval beforehand.

To keep our lawns in pristine condition and for the safety of other Park visitors, please do not conduct any ball training exercise in groups (regardless of group size), including footballs, basketballs, rugby, baseballs etc., in the Art Park and public open spaces.

Please refer to the Street Performance Scheme.