Events aimed to get people used to attending West Kowloon arts hub
I refer to the letter by J. W. Chan ('Winter event not suitable for arts hub', July 12).
Starting this autumn The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority will activate the future district site by bringing in a variety of events and activities before the first cultural venues open in the arts hub from 2015.
The objectives underpinning the programming of events on the site during the pre-opening period are to raise public awareness of the potentials of the site; bring people to the temporary site so that they will get used to attending events there; act as incubators for developing and nurturing talents in performing and visual arts; pilot the integration of software building with hardware development in response to public expectation; provide work and training opportunities for outdoor events management, stage management and related technical arts; and most important of all, to achieve a balanced mix of cultural and commercial activities that would make the district a financially sustainable and viable operation going forward.
There will be music festivals (including the popular Clockenflap Music and Art Festival), outdoor concerts, art installations, as well as a variety of entertainment and recreational events. We are also seeking collaborations with different arts, youth and community groups to bring a wider variety of programmes to the site. We hope that these will attract not only lovers of cultural events, but also families and people from all walks of life, making the cultural district a place for everyone.
The authority is already programming. The West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre in January and, Mobile M+: Yau Ma Tei in May were received with much public applause. Some commercial events, such as the Winter Carnival, will be held on the site. These will attract wider audiences and generate revenue to offset part of the expenditure of running cultural programmes, as well as the site management and maintenance costs.
Garmen Chan, executive director, communications and marketing, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
