Mong Kok street performers band together to call for licensing system in Hong Kong to revive lost culture
After years of competing for space and trying to outsing one another, artists who have lost their popular performing ground want better regulation and a compromise with authorities
Street performances in the heart of Hong Kong can be brought back to life if authorities introduce a licensing system and learn from other countries, buskers have said, a day after an iconic stretch in the city was closed to them for good amid noise concerns.
On Monday, performers lamented that the vibrant culture at the famous Mong Kok pedestrian zone – a 500-metre stretch of Sai Yeung Choi Street South – had changed over the years, leading to the shutdown. They said singers competed to see who was louder, compared with the past when there was a spirit of cooperation.
Ng Siu-fai, spokesman of an association of 22 Mong Kok performers and performing groups said his camp was drafting a proposal on licensing to the government. The group’s Chinese name translates into ‘Mong Kok Street Culture Association’.
Hong Kong currently does not have any permit framework in place to regulate street performances.
The association recommended having quotas for the number of performers in a certain area, with rules on noise levels. In a phone interview, Ng said the noise limits would be set according to the nature of the site, so there would be different conditions across areas.
“Such a mechanism would be beneficial to Hong Kong’s street performing culture,” he said.
The criteria to qualify for licences should be low so even amateurs could apply, Ng suggested, adding that the system could be adopted across the city, not just for gigs in Mong Kok.