When Volar first opened it contained two rooms: a club side and a lounge side. Each room featured a d.j. booth, a long bar and banks of seating. While there have been minor alterations over the past four years, the most recent renovation literally closed half of the club.

Volar recently reopened their lounge side, now dubbed the Circus Room, just in time for their fourth anniversary. (more…)

Tuesday I was running errands related to the holidays. I headed up to Prince Edward and walked all the way down to Tsim Sha Tsui before heading back to Central. One thing I love about Hong Kong is the energy you feel just walking along the streets. Different neighborhoods have unique vibes. This sensation is amplified during the busy holiday season. (more…)

Launch parties and anniversaries can be quite serious affairs in Hong Kong. Of particular importance is finding the right entertainment to match your brand and convey your message. So when you’re in a field that typically uses adjectives like ‘cool’ and ‘fresh’, who do you turn to?

Saturday night’s one-year anniversary for Rio Mints featured a memorable freestyle performance by American-born Chinese rapper, M.C. Jin. His verbal dexterity and on-the-spot wordplay had the typically tough crowd laughing and smiling (even before the alcohol kicked in!) (more…)

It’s been a long time since I was impressed with any of the new additions to Hong Kong’s nightlife. Attending the opening party for Habitat, a new rooftop lounge on Thursday night, I was totally smitten! (more…)

2R in character… you don’t wanna mess with Nxy and Zia!

Singer-actor duo 2R, comprised of sisters Rosanne and Race, unveiled their latest project on Thursday night. In a move that’s sure to make a lot of people jealous, the two have been transformed into Sci-Fi comic-book heroines by celebrated artist Pat Lee! (more…)

The official name of the exhibition is Indigo Child, but calling it a wonderland is no exaggeration. The mega show created by artist Carrie Chau and put up by the Times Square shopping center represents a new triumph for Hong Kong artists. There isn’t a more high profile space in the city with the same foot-traffic. The fact that it’s up during the Christmas season, situated in front of and inside of the major shopping mall makes it unbeatable in scope.

Times Square should be commended for having the foresight to recognize the artist’s talent and the confidence to realize her appeal to ordinary Hong Kong citizens. Walking by Times Square at any time of day, you’re likely to see groups of people pausing to admire the work, or more likely snapping away with their cameras. This is a major attraction and I’m happy to see it so perfectly executed by a local artist. (It was also a smart business decision for Times Square – how many thousand Facebook photos, online galleries and blog posts have images of Times Square now in the background?) (more…)

Last week I attended the launch of Galleri Magazine’s fourth issue. I’ve written about the significance of Galleri before here. The magazine has been working hard to bring Hong Kong’s creative community together. The pages are loaded with work from local artists who, until recently, suffered from underexposure.

The event was held at a new lounge named Dada inside The Luxe Manor hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. I’d never been to Luxe Manor or Dada before, and visiting them I discovered a few surprises! (more…)

Wow! This is one Christmas party you shouldn’t miss! Alive Not Dead, the popular social network is teaming up with the Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy gang to bring Hong Kong a real trend-setter in international club music.

Daniel Haaksman is responsible for bringing Brazil’s Baile Funk music out of the favela and onto world dance floors. The results have been spectacular and have changed the sound of contemporary dance music. Also headlining is D.J. Beware, a three time champion turntablist who started in H.K. and has since relocated to Austria. He’s toured the world and made waves on the international scene. They are supported by PAE’s house d.j.s, Enso and Kid Fresh.

Alive Not Dead / Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy XMas Bash
Friday, December 26th
Cliq
2/F, On Hing Building, On Hing Terrace (at intersection of Wellington St. and Wyndham)
Central, Hong Kong
Tickets are $250 HKD with two drinks

Aside from throwing some of my favorite parties around town, the CLOT crew have a very successful clothing store called JUICE in Causeway Bay. It’s here that they sell top designers from all over the world as well as showcase their own CLOT clothing line which has been a big hit on the international street wear scene. Most of the clothing they carry at JUICE is extremely limited edition and represents a who’s who of contemporary street fashion.

In order to make room for all the new gear they’re going to be debuting in 2009, the gang is holding a major sale to free up some space. (more…)

I have a theory that any Hong Kong movie with the word “Beast” in the title can’t be half bad.* With that in mind, I headed over to the Grand Cinema in Elements mall last Tuesday. Though I didn’t know anything about Beast Stalker besides two of the cast members, I picked up a ticket.

The Grand Cinema in Elements is a great place to catch a film. It has several theaters, a few of which are huge, and the sound systems are great. With seats that vibrate, for an action flick or horror film you can’t do much better. On Tuesdays tickets are just $40 HKD, a steal compared to cinemas in Hong Kong side, plus you get a better film-going experience.

Before the movie even started I was nearly jumping out of my seat from watching the previews! (more…)