Most revellers naturally set sail for Wan Chai as they pour out of Hong Kong Stadium – it’s a perfect fit being walking distance, roughly 30 minutes for even the most sozzled spectators.
With Lan Kwai Fong a cab ride or MTR journey away, when you’re trashed and you follow that Sevens crowd out of the stadium you invariably end up in Lockhart or Jaffe Road, with very few bars on the redeveloped side of Wan Chai permitted to stay open beyond 11pm.
Revellers outside The Queen Victoria in Wan Chai during Hong Kong Rugby Sevens week. Photo: Dickson Lee
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With 24-hour licences allowed because it is a commercial district, these bars make 50 per cent of their revenue after midnight because almost every other drinking area on the island shuts down.
It’s “socially irresponsible drinking” as one Wan Chai bar owner puts it.
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It is an area driven aggressively by trade shows, too, the largest of which are usually timed to coincide with Sevens week.
