Hong Kong announces social distancing outdoor venue for large events

A cooperative effort amongst key players in Hong Kong’s events and entertainment industry has resulted in the announcement of a well-planned social distancing entertainment space that launches with a local music initiative called BOUNCE — the name is derived from the idea of bouncing back from a major lull for events.

The Grounds is an events and entertainment space right next to the Hong Kong Observation Wheel, nested in the heart of the city along one of the most famous skylines in the world. The prime piece of real estate has not been in operation for most of this year due to COVID-19, but now with its revitalisation being launched with a music-focused content programme, a conscious event environment serves as an supportive foundation for a revival of the entertainment industry.

As an inaugural event for the newly designed spaced, it aims to be a pop-event series that features acoustic and folk musicians, hip hop producers and rappers as well as electronic artists and beat-makers. BeatFriday is one of the artists to keep an eye out for — although his namesake is derived from the fact he produces a new beat every Friday (which he did for two years consecutively), we hear that for this new pop-up event series, he will be bringing in fresh creativity spurred from 2020’s pandemic-fuelled suppression.

The space will be arranged with individual pods for small groups, and all food and beverage orders will be run through and delivered to private pod. It will be the first time this type of a a logistics setup will be set up for a ticketed event in Hong Kong.

It will also be the first outdoor ticketed music event in Hong Kong since the start of the pandemic, and it will be curated by Seeahole, one of Hong Kong’s most active local curators and aggregators for local musicians — the music agency is also the music curator behind the avant-garde, art-driven mall and complex, K-11 Musea. Pyjama, the primary logistics operator behind some of Hong Kong’s largest events such as Clockenflap is behind the operational blueprint for the space.

James Chan, Director, Seeahole explains, “We want to create a more memorable

but fun live music celebration, bringing together different communities of like-minded music lovers experiencing new acts. Then later in the evening, they’ll be enjoying older local-favourite bands in a series of interesting settings of mini-festivals.”

“One thing I love about living in Hong Kong,” adds Phil Murphy, Managing Director of Pyjama, “is how unexpected chance meetings can work out.” While working on a food festival atop Hong Kong’s Peak, Phil heard the velvet voice and melodic tunes of Mukzi. who was the singer in the band for the event. “I thought, how come I have never heard of this incredibly talented guy... and I’m in the industry?” Mukzi’s manager just happened to be James Chan, an old friend of Phil’s, and it only took a fruitful conversation to give rise to BOUNCE and the future of larger public events in Hong Kong.

You can find out about other offerings from The Grounds here and more about BOUNCE here.