WKCD poses to become landmark of major events with the implementation of new venue hiring arrangements

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) has implemented new arrangements for hiring the public open spaces and performing arts venues in the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD or the District) and boosted the number and size of hireable event venues in the District. Moreover, in addition to artistic hirers, rental concessions will be offered to non-profit making organisations to encourage a greater variety of events to be hosted at WKCD to develop the District into a unique landmark for artistic, cultural, entertainment and other events.

Betty FUNG, Chief Executive Officer of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority said, “The new venue hiring arrangements of the WKCD will support more arts and cultural, sports, education and charity events to be held in the District, actualising our goal of making WKCD an open space for all as well as an ideal place for major events organised by different sectors and organisations, both of which would enable the District to grow into a dynamic arts and cultural hub and a unique landmark for major events.”

“Furthermore, the new arrangements enable WKCD to unleash the value and potential of its land and properties, thereby increasing venue hiring revenue and strengthening place-making which in turn benefits the retail and dining business in the District. Such strategy helps generate more income to support the long-term sustainable development of the District and the operation of its arts and cultural facilities.”

New outdoor event venues available

Spanning over 11 hectares and opened in phases from 2018 to 2020, the Art Park is now a public hot spot for relaxation and entertainment, as well as the preferred venue for organising events by different types of organisations and groups. The Arts Pavilion in the Art Park is also highly popular with event organisers. To address the strong demand for venue hiring, WKCDA is making available new event venues of different sizes in different parts of the District, increasing the total number of outdoor venues from eight to 19 and almost doubling the overall hireable area to over 34,000 square metres. Some of the newly added event venues include the “Harbourside Deck” adjacent to M+ where users can enjoy the world-renowned picturesque views of the Victoria Harbour, the “Hong Kong Palace Museum Lawn” which is in close proximity to the newly opened museum, as well as the “Cultural Plaza” near Xiqu Centre, a rare large-scale event space connected to Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, with direct access to Austin Station.

The newly added event venues will offer more space for cultural and arts groups, non-profit-making organisations and commercial organisations to stage different types of events, further enriching the visitor experience.

New concessions for performing arts hirers

In response to the needs of the performing arts sector, performing arts venues of WKCD (including Xiqu Centre and Freespace) will offer new rental concessions and packages, including the Venue Bundling Packages which allow hirers of major venues to hire designated small venues (e.g., Studios of Xiqu Centre and The Room of Freespace) with discount; Partnerships Package to encourage different performing arts groups to present more quality programmes in WKCD; as well as exclusive privileges to long-run productions such as music, theatre and dances.

New concessions for non-profit-making organisations

The WKCDA has hitherto been setting its venue hiring rates for non-artistic events, commercial or otherwise, with reference to market prices, whereas artistic events organised by arts and cultural groups receive rental concessions. Under the new arrangements, rental concessions may be offered to non-profit making organisations for hiring open spaces and venues in the Art Park, Arts Pavilion, Xiqu Centre and Freespace to organise non-profit making arts, social welfare, education, charity events, etc. The new arrangements aim to support more non-profit-making organisations to organise events in WKCD, underscoring WKCDA’s goal to reach out to different sectors and to support social inclusion, while unleashing the synergy between culture and other sectors.

Enhanced accessibility of the District

Following the opening of M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum, transportation access to the WKCD has been significantly enhanced. Visitors can now reach the District through the Artist Square Bridge from Kowloon Station, as well as via various green minibus and franchised bus routes connecting WKCD and other parts of Hong Kong. Moreover, WKCDA has recently introduced a complimentary shuttle bus service that runs around WKCD facilities and increased the total provision of car parking spaces in the District to over 640.

WKCDA will continue to refine the venue hiring arrangements and enhance accessibility through different measures, actively fostering place-making and developing WKCD as a unique landmark for major artistic, cultural, entertainment and other events.

Remarks

About the West Kowloon Cultural District
The West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the largest and most ambitious cultural projects in the world. Its vision is to create a vibrant new cultural quarter for Hong Kong on forty hectares of reclaimed land located alongside Victoria Harbour. With a varied mix of theatres, performance spaces, and museums, the West Kowloon Cultural District will produce and host world-class exhibitions, performances, and cultural events, providing twenty-three hectares of public open space, including a two-kilometre waterfront promenade.