Shortly before midnight on Chinese New Year Eve, I found myself standing in the epicenter of the annual Lunar New Year Fair in Victoria Park.

Despite the cold, damp weather, the yearly celebration was unbelievably packed. The large scale event, which takes place over the days leading up to Chinese New Year, draws several hundred thousand people who inch their way through aisles browsing New Year related merchandise.

At one point, with many of the aisles at a complete standstill, people continued to converge from every side. As the crowd piled up around me, I wiggled my arm free and was able to shoot a quick (and shaky) 360 degree video to capture the insane sea of people.

Soon afterwords I changed course to a less crowded route and made my escape!

Cutest merchandise for sale?

The items for sale this year included the usual flowers, plants, and objects specially crafted for their New Year symbolism. As we have just entered year of the dragon, many of the items had a dragon theme.

In keeping with modern traditions, there was other merchandise for sale based on current events. I spotted super-sized cheques for $6000 HKD, relating to the Hong Kong government’s payment to permanent residents this year.

Other items that appeared new (or perhaps that had gone un-noticed previously,) were scratch-n-sniff orange and banana tree pinwheels made of paper, as well as plastic cherry blossom pin-wheels.

The cutest find? A colorful over-sized camera (that was actually a giant plush hand-warmer, made to resemble a Colorware Leica!)

I think last year’s giant bubble tea is still the reigning champion of cuteness!

A quick word of caution

Though the police monitor every part of the fair, the sheer number of people pouring in makes it un-weildly. The truth is that it’s an impossible event to fully control.

Small children, babies, people in wheel chairs, strollers, and the elderly, should not visit the market at peak times of the night. Even with all of the precautions, there is a degree of chaos that leaves those more vulnerable at risk.

Have a look back at previous Lunar New Year fairs: 2011, 2010, 2008, 2008, 2007, and 2006.

We celebrate the first post of 2012 with a look back in time. The South China Athletic Association’s bowling center used to be a hotspot of Hong Kong nightlife in the 1970′s and 80′s. Preserved on rows of lockers buried deep inside the building is unique evidence of the passions and interests of its former denizens. We’re talking about a fascinating collection of stickers that spans four decades!

The hundreds of stickers tell a story about what was cool or popular at the time. The bowlers plastered their lockers with stickers from the different brands, movies, singers, and magazines they liked, along with souvenirs from the places they traveled.

Check out the trailer from the 1978 Superman movie here!

Skateboarder Magazine sticker!

When the bowling alley was renovated last year, thankfully, they kept the old lockers.

For fans of Pop culture, the collection here is nothing short of dazzling! Among the many rarities are things that are so old they’ve been rediscovered again.

Representing the 1970′s we have movie icon Charles Bronson and the New York Cosmos! (The New York Cosmos were the first modern dream-team in sports and the legendary Pelé was their star soccer player.)

Here’s the TV commercial from the campaign!

For more info about the New York Cosmos, check out this documentary

Pele was also very popular in Hong Kong. Have a look at this 1980′s TV commercial with actress Cherrie Chung!

The bands from the early 80′s include Culture Club, Nakamori Akina, The Police, and the Thompson Twins! All are immortalized here in their original, sticker form.

Boy George!!!

Japanese singer, Nakamori Akina

The stickers aren’t confined to foreign stars either. There’s even 1990′s Aaron Kwok and Faye Wong!

Yes, there were Apple fan boys in Hong Kong even back in the early 80′s, when the company was still known as Apple Computer! These stickers typically came inside the box back when you purchased an Apple IIe!

The revolutionary Asahi Pentax camera also came with cool illustrated stickers!

Enjoy! Wishing you all the very best in the new year!

Construction started over a year ago on two grand archways at the beginning and end of the Temple Street night market in Jordan. Passing by recently, the finished product seems more at home at a Taipei night market than in Hong Kong’s urban landscape.

While it may make the popular street market more photogenic for tourists, it actually stands out because Hong Kong doesn’t typically go in for ostentatious ‘oriental’ design.

In fact, after a brief walk around our cosmopolitan city, foreigners have been known to ask bewilderedly, “Where’s Chinatown?”

Does H.K. lack contemporary Chinese architecture?

The territory’s unique history, (as a British colony pre-1997,) and its obsession with modernity, often results in architecture without overt displays of Chinese heritage.

Though Hong Kong is very much a Chinese city, there are few ostentatious displays on a grand architectural scale. By contrast, compare this with buildings such as Taipei 101, or numerous contemporary structures in cities such as Shenzhen, that weave together traditional Chinese traits with modern design.

Perhaps another factor is Hong Kong’s constant lack of space, which leaves little room for experimentation, and leans more towards sober practicality.

Every year well over a hundred thousand people cram into Victoria Park for the Chinese New Year fair that packs several football fields of space.

Throngs of festive revelers slowly press their way through long rows of booths, browsing and interacting with hawkers. The lively atmosphere is a unique Hong Kong experience as sellers shout and carry on, attempting to draw attention to their merchandise.

The items on sale include plants and flowers meant to bring good luck in the new year, as well as merchandise that corresponds to the coming year of the Chinese zodiac.

But other non-traditional categories also exist and are particularly popular.

Hong Kong’s penchant for things that are cute and trendy also manifests itself among the offerings. The items appear as replicas in super-sized scale, either in plush, or inflatable version.

This year there were two clear standouts. iPhone related merchandise, particularly characters from the popular game, Angry Birds, had a major presence. Plush and inflatable replicas of the Angry Birds were being sold by several different vendors throughout the market.

I would venture that per capita, Hong Kong has the highest concentration of iPhone users in the world, so an appearance here comes as no surprise.

In the cute category, snacks tend to be the biggest draw. Previous hot items have included super-sized ‘gai daan jai’ and egg tarts, (both local snacks,) as well as Chupa Chup lollipops, ice-cream bars, and even McDonald’s apple pies.

The champion of cute this year was the giant meter-high bubble tea (aka ‘jun ju lai cha’ aka Taiwan style milk tea with tapioca pearls!)

Available in three different brands, they included a huge cup, a straw, and six huge ‘jun ju’ tapioca pearls.

Popular ten years ago, the bubble tea places made a resurgence in the city in 2010. (Of course Hong Kong Hustle was on to this trend in 2009!)

For a look back at items from previous Victoria Park CNY markets, check out: 2006 2007 2008 2008 and 2010.

Wishing you all the very best in the year of the rabbit! Kung Hei Fat Choy!

A few weekends ago, I was walking towards Lan Kwai Fong, when I spotted something odd. In front of me, driving by slowly, was a massive truck with banners on all four sides.

The signs were advertising an upcoming event at a nearby club. The bouncers standing outside remarked that it had been driving through the neighborhood all night. Is this an effective form of advertising?

In Hong Kong, nightspots are generally found in clusters spread throughout the city. In Central, perhaps the city’s epicenter of nightlife, the main area is only about five blocks long. Making a circuit by car is slow and winding during the weekend traffic. Four hours of cruising around the same area (which consists of bars, clubs, lounges and restaurants,) will get you a significant number of eyeballs from a very specific target audience.

Advertising by truck is better than a static billboard because it’s more unique and attention-getting. A simple poster in the MTR wouldn’t have the same novelty or reach. If calculated correctly, it can literally go where potential customers are.

Moving billboards aren’t suitable for every product or service, but perhaps to spread awareness of a nightlife event, or a product aimed at the same demographic, it’s an interesting and smart approach.

People in Hong Kong have been talking about typhoon Megi all week long. Much to the disappointment of the general working population, Megi’s now not scheduled to arrive until Saturday night, mostly bypassing Hong Kong.

What use is a typhoon, if it doesn’t get you a day off of work? People here are plenty disappointed!

Despite the employee let-down, businesses had been taking the threat of Megi very seriously. Walking down Wyndham Street Thursday night, most of the stylish boutiques had their windows taped (a typhoon precaution,) and a few even had sandbags piled up in front of their doors.

In my experience, the weather is usually worse the day following the typhoon, than during the actual typhoon. People have been lulled into thinking that typhoons are no big deal, as we’ve been spared a major one for about a decade. However, the satellite imagery and news of a “super-typhoon” were enough to get people stock-piling food and water this time around.

Here’s a video I shot of a typhoon in Lan Kwai Fong last year. This wasn’t a major typhoon, but as you can see (and hear,) the wind was very strong!

Redbull held their first Flugtag event in Hong Kong in West Kowloon on Sunday, October 10th, 2010. Despite bad weather, well over 10,000 people attended – a stunning amount given that this is the very first event of this kind in the city.

Who knew that watching people jump off a six-meter ramp and crash into the harbor is cross-cultural entertainment? But there’s more to the event than the amazing faceplants.

Flugtag is part home-town parade, part Halloween, and part Jackass-the-movie, rolled into one.

Contestants come up with a theme for their team, create what is essentially a parade float (well, it’s supposed to fly, but that often isn’t the case!,) and develop a short skit to perform, before launching their craft into a large body of water. There’s one pilot, but frequently the teammates jump into the water as well.

The creativity involved in building the flying machines, each with a particular theme is remarkable. Hong Kong showed a creative side that rarely yields such good results. Often, Flugtag participants localize their entries after notable things about their city or country. Hong Kong was no exception, fashioning flying machines with local references including roast pork, dim sum, mahjong, the tram, and Bruce Lee. The entries were outstanding! There was even a Star Wars Lego team!

Here’s how it worked: from the workshop, entries would line up according to their departure number. Several teams would be led out onto a staging ground where they cavorted in costume for the crowd, before reaching the ramp. Once they got to the launch pad, they played their theme song and performed a short skit. After a brief final safety check, they had a short countdown before being pushed into the harbor.

Once the plane flew (most did little more than flop downwards, to the crowd’s steady enjoyment!) a rescue team would quickly scoop up the pilot and begin clearing the path for the next team. The system worked well, though there were some pauses due to weather conditions.

Strong winds blowing in the opposite direction made it difficult to fly, and in some cases, difficult to even launch. Several of the entries flew apart at the end of the ramp, just before they were due to go off!

Much of the massive audience watched the proceedings on a huge screen with live feeds from several camera angles capturing the action.

Forty teams, each with zany humor and colorful costumes, created a fun atmosphere that made Redbull’s first Flugtag in Hong Kong the most successful new event in a decade. The crowd was the most diverse I’ve ever seen at an event, truly reflecting the entire cross-section of Hong Kong society.

Red Bull’s Flugtag is a masterpiece in spectacle, with a wide appeal similar to a circus. Families with children perched up on their shoulders were just as common as teens and middle-aged couples. The lively, jovial atmosphere (and anticipation for the next crash,) kept everyone smiling. Hong Kong should be proud of their city and the massive turnout!

Thanks Red Bull for bringing your event to Hong Kong! See you next year in 2011?

Ten years ago Hong Kong was buzzing with optimism about the Internet. PCCW made headlines for purchasing the domain name cyberworks.com for $1,000,000 U.S. dollars, and dot com hysteria quickly spread to other local businesses.

The hunger to appear up-to-date and part of the next big thing gave birth to some truly ridiculous names for Hong Kong companies. Pretty soon every advertisement featured a name with the prefix ‘e-something’, ‘i-something’ or with the word ‘cyber’ awkwardly appended. The only trouble was that most people had no clue what the Internet was useful for, or how to make a business from it.

As dot com fever reached its peak, even Central’s nightlife was affected. Often you heard people asking “Are you going to the launch party tonight?” There was even a building on Wellington Street legally rechristened ‘Dot Com House’ during those days.

It was in this frenzied environment that I first I met Casey Lau, the gregarious organizer of the upcoming StartupsHK event on August 7th. Even back then, Casey stood out as one of the few people who fathomed the power and usefulness of the Internet.

Fast-forward to 2010 and Casey is a veteran of Hong Kong’s Internet scene, a successful entrepreneur, a savvy content guy, and the only person I know who had a full-costume Star Trek wedding (yes, that pushes him into über-geek territory.)

Casey’s StartupsHK event on Saturday, August 7th, promises “no suits and no PowerPoint.” The one-day event, which features guest speakers (including Pat Lee from rottentomatoes and alivenotdead,) is a great way for aspiring startups to meet and share information. The other benefits include hearing tales from experienced entrepreneurs, learning about existing resources in Hong Kong, discussing funding channels, and the ability to generate buzz by demoing their projects.

For a quick look at the speakers, panels and agenda go here.

Best of all it’s FREE, and just requires registration in order to attend.

For more information, please visit the StartupsHK website.

Recommended!

StartupsHK
Saturday, August 7th, 2010
10am to 7pm
Cyberport
Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
FREE!

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s World Cup fever again in Hong Kong. The city’s nightclubs offer no escape, in fact, many of them have chosen to cater to fans, instead of offering a respite. As many of the games air live at 2:30 am, top clubs such as Dragon-i, Volar, Roxie, and Tazmania Ballroom have all been partially transformed into sports bars.

Somehow they manage to juggle the dual forms of entertainment. Dragon-i, for example, was functioning normally inside on Tuesday night, although there was a huge screen outdoors showing the Brazil / North Korea game. Roxie, which is normally quiet on Tuesdays, was loaded with yellow and green jerseys and people in face paint.

Even if you’re not a big fan, it’s fun to witness the national cheers, jeers and songs that come from normally apathetic people during World Cup matches. Each nation has their own football culture, and a trip to Hong Kong clubland during World Cup allows you to pick up on some of these traditions.

For example, what do people scream during a missed opportunity, or yell when an amazing play is made? Cultural anthropologists can find out here.

The crowd interaction will only intensify as the competition wears on. A brief note to visiting d.j.s – expect some temporary distractions during your sets, as game time falls exactly during prime clubbing hours.

Check out images from around Hong Kong during the last World Cup.

Throwing beer after a goal – a Brazilian tradition?

One of the small pleasures of attending events in Hong Kong are those moments when you spot something unintentionally ironic, humorously inappropriate, or totally absurd.

The intended atmosphere of the event is suddenly pierced by something random that just doesn’t fit, or is simply inexplicable.

I was reminded of this phenomenon recently while attending a hair show.

A short way into the production, a person dressed as Predator (from the Arnold Schwartzenegger film of the same name,) took to the stage. For the next twenty minutes he cavorted around, at first with a d.j. and dancers, and later sharing the platform with models during a live hair styling demonstration.

It’s moments like this where you find yourself scratching your head, wondering what the organizer was thinking.

But there’s one benefit to these intrusions – they make an otherwise average event fun and unforgettable!