A town planner is warning that interim cultural programmes planned for the West Kowloon arts hub will not succeed without improved access to the venue.
Town planner Pong Yuen-yee said the government should consider supporting a water taxi to the site, 'instead of just relying on the remote MTR station'. 'It can be an additional service introduced by the Star Ferry whenever there are special events,' Pong said.
One such event, scheduled on October 1 and 2 as part of the annual Hong Kong International Jazz Festival, would be ideal.
Local jazz icon Ted Lo, vocalist Justin Lo Ting-wai, five-time Grammy-winning trumpeter Terence Blanchard and percussionist Poncho Sanchez will be among 300 artists from 24 countries performing a broad range of genres, including Jewish wedding songs, gypsy swing, Moravian folk, Afro-Cuban, a cappella and Brazilian jazz.
The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority announced yesterday that the two-day festival would be held on the vacant land where the multibillion-dollar arts hub will be built.
Vocalist and band shows around the square stage will cost HK$580 to HK$1,000 for a two-day pass. Some mobile stage and marching band performances, and a children's jazz and poetry workshop will be free.
'Although the arts facilities in West Kowloon will not be completed for a few years, we hope we can give the public a taste of what it will be like - the atmosphere of our future arts hub,' said Louis Yu Kwok-lit, the authority's performance arts executive director.