The Market Festival

Unless you’ve been living on a distant planet, you’ve heard that the Graham Street Market is set to be removed as part of the government’s plan to redevelop the area to make room for a hotel, two residential buildings and an office complex.

When we lose this, the oldest street market in Hong Kong, we’re not just losing 130 stalls, but one of the city’s best-known tourist attractions, and a part of our daily culture.

To celebrate this fast-vanishing culture, the Central and Western District Council, the Conservancy Association Centre of Heritage (CACHe), the See Network and the Central and Western District Concern Group will hold a festival with a chain of events during the weekends of November, hoping to raise public awareness. The festival will feature workshops, chef tours, and even a fashion show, with more than 40 hawkers participating in the programs.

John Batten of the Central and Western District Concern Group, and an organizer of the festival, says the focus is simple. “Visit the market, walk around – visit the shops and stalls, and of course, buy something!”

Here are some of the highlights:

The Grand Opening

The festival will kick off on Nov 3, 3pm with a fashion parade on Peel Street, followed by a talk show hosted by social commentator Ho Kwok-leung at various locations around the market.