We test the city's 24-hour party credentials
Hong Kong's credentials as Asia's city that neversleepsare put to the test as Charley Lanyon embarks on a 24-hour arts and entertainment journey
It's often said that Hong Kong is a 24-hour city. But is it really? Sure, one can pass 24 hours in a bar in Wan Chai, but a true 24-hour city must cater to the tastes of its entire population and not just its party animals.
Can a night owl-cum-culture vulture get his fix in Hong Kong? I set off to find out. Starting at 4pm on Saturday, I tried to pack the next 24 hours with enthralling, entertaining and improving activities. Was Hong Kong up to the challenge? As it turned out the city didn't fail me, but I came close to failing it.
I need to start off this adventure with a bang, something to give me the energy to coast through the next 24 hours, and Burn the Floor, a dance bonanza which promises non-stop action and infectious Latin beats, seems the perfect choice. I head to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and find the show everything I have been hoping for. I feel energised and ready to take on the night. Excited for the bright lights and neon glare of Wan Chai, I spring from my seat and find … daylight. Perhaps I should pace myself.
The Wanch, Wan Chai's venerable live music venue, is celebrating its 25th anniversary and I find the bar in the throes of a marathon acoustic concert. A band play Irish drinking songs while some folks in softball uniforms, pink from sunburn and overindulgence, dance jigs and throw coasters at the drummer. Much Guinness is shared and I settle in. While in the sweaty embrace of an over-stimulated Canadian, I realise I should get out now or I may never leave.