Hong Kong's OpenSesame music festival gives local bands a platform
Twenty acts lined up for two-day August event in New Territories, writes Mary Hui
Tucked away in a quiet corner of the New Territories, at the foot of Kam Tin's Tai To Yan peak, a grassy clearing called Chi Ma Leng ("sesame ridge") will be home to the inaugural OpenSesame music festival next month.
"We want to draw attention to the indie scene in Hong Kong," says Katy Ng Ka-kei, who is part of OpenSesame's PR team.
The event also aims to promote other alternative genres; instrumental rock, jazz, electronic and math folk will all be featured. Ng believes there is an "imbalance" in Hong Kong's music scene, where pop rock is popular but genres such as hardcore and metal are sometimes overlooked.
"If people listen to only one type of music, it might kill off other types," she says.
Two-day tickets cost HK$380 while a one-day pass is HK$280, and a two-person camping ticket is HK$150. There will be food and drinks for sale on-site and a shuttle bus will run throughout the weekend, between the festival and Kam Sheung Road MTR station.
