Closer to a 3.5 experience but I'm feeling generous this evening…read more What exactly IS a Clockenflap anyway? Other than being extremely fun to say, I don't think anyone really knows... not even the founders. That's part of the whimsical charm, eh? This festival was definitely one of the best-organized that I've attended... and I've gone to many, many music festivals. I caught the festival bug when I was 15 (yep, my first Lollapalooza way back when it was still a traveling festival) and since then, I've attended them in different cities, states, and even countries. Show me an excellent line-up of artists and I'm there! Only the Clockenflap line-up is the festival's Achilles heel. Look, I'm completely down with supporting unknown, emerging artists but at the prices Clockenflap is charging? Almost $100 USD for a one-day ticket felt a bit like robbery. Pitchfork Festival certainly didn't charge those kinds of prices when they were first starting out. In fact, they still don't! At Pitchfork you'll get a 3-day pass for a fair $180 USD and the sweet and smug satisfaction that you're definitely seeing several bands that are on their way up, up, up. The not-so-stellar line-up, however, also means this festival isn't crazy crowded... how nice! You'll have plenty of room to occupy space without getting violated by a stranger's elbow or worse, assaulted by their beer. And the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade is gorgeous, by day or night. Simply walking around with your friends while sipping on a cider and taking in insane waterfront views of Hong Kong while catching bits of live music - made for one of my best Saturdays here yet. Clockenflap organizers did a super job of curating some stellar food choices... there was also plenty to choose from for my vegetarian friend which was a nice bonus. And the official festival merchandise is the bee's knees! But also super pricey. I eventually gave in and purchased a beanie I had my eye on, but it set me back $30 USD. For a beanie. Maybe the coolest beanie ever, but still: ouch! Probably the most impressive organizational aspect of the fest is that it's completely cash-free. Upon arrival, simply load your wristband with cash and voila! You're free to move around the plane. If you're left with a balance, you're able to easily transfer the funds for free to your local bank account. Sorry, international visitors, but you'll have to pay a small fee for the service. Still, this is a concept all major festivals should embrace! So yeah... I'd do it again.

It really depends on how you view it. Tickets are pricey compared to other large scale festivals in…read moreHong Kong, and gosh you need to buy your own drinks and food in the venue, and they ain't cheap either. And yet, if you are comparing to music concerts in general, yet the price is in a reasonable ballpark. If you are lucky enough to have all your favourite artists / groups all schedule to perform on the same day/night, you are in for a treat. And yes, Clockenflap is getting better and better inviting heavyweight performers. For instance, we were there on Friday, watching The Anello, Clean Bandit, Damien Rice, and Love Psychedelico back to back. The other side stages, like Silent Disco and Cinema Silenzio, are pretty much optional, acting much like placeholders to fill the void in the vast space of West Kowloon Cultural District, but there are still fans into those. Last note, the payment method is probably the best among all festivals. wrist bracelet with chip attached, never have to concern about losing your silly tokens or top-up card. You can also refund the residual amount online, to a local or international bank account. Can't top that.

Large Western themed amusement park, filled with many carnival game booths, rides, and food stalls…read more There's a cover fee to get in, and all rides and games cost a few tokens (your fee pays for a bunch, and you can buy more throughout the park). If you've ever watched Mark Rober's YouTube video on carney games, you'd know most of the skill-based game booths are total ripoffs and are nearly impossible to win. However, if you wanna have a chance at winning something, I'd recommend the duck-fishing game (random chance), or any of the dart throwing games (esp the 1-hit win games). Food isn't overly marked up, which is nice. If you leave the park, reentry is prohibited. Personally, I'd recommend visiting the park at night since it can get hot and there isn't much shade, plus there's a different vibe and lighting at night. Overall, lots of fun for kids and even adults.

I had a great time taking my toddler here on the weekend. There are a lot of different types of…read morerides and carnival games. When I went there weren't a lot of long lines and we could get on a ride with very little waiting. My son really enjoyed it and really didn't want to leave. Adult tickets cost 130 hkd and come with 10 tokens and children tickets cost 90 hkd and come with 7 tokens. The rides cost between 3-6 tokens so you can go on a number of rides with the entrance ticket.

Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, established in 2020, has over 100 wax figures of local and international…read moreicons, including Hong Kong celebrities, and the interactive zones with themes ranging from music and sports to films and animation. However, it's really a tourist trap, overpriced for the overall experience here, most wax figures don't even look like the real person at all, let alone the worst customer satisfaction in Hong Kong as they don't honor their official closing time stated on their website, as they close much earlier than said, and the staff only rushed to kick you out and apparently care nothing about your experience.

I have been to the Madame Tussauds in London and Amsterdam. This one - located inside the Victoria…read morePeak mall - was slightly smaller. Like all of their locations, this one had wax figures that catered to the city it was in. Therefore, this one had a lot of Asian celebrities - mainly pop singers and actors from Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan such as Andy Lau and Ayumi Hamasaki. One of the more impressive statues was the 7'6" (229 cm) Yao Ming one. There were also the usual American celebrities who are known worldwide: Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Madonna, Johnny Depp, Kylie Jenner, etc. Overall, it was an interesting diversion.

This was the fourth year that I attended the VIP Preview of Art Basel Hong Kong as a guest of my…read moredaughter, who's a VIP of the world-class exhibition since it was launched in 2013.  She was invited to the VIP Preview and could bring 1 guest with her.  We had also been to Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland, and twice to Art Basel Miami.  Art Basel HK is as good as all the Art Basel shows, if not better.  It had successfully propelled Hong Kong into an art capital of Asia. Art Basel HK 2026 featured 240 galleries from 41 countries and territories, with a particular focus on Asia-Pacific.  The exhibition took place on Level 1 and 3 of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center and was truly huge.  If you like modern or contemporary art, this is the show for you.  It is also a perfect place for people-watching, as some attendees are very fashion-forward or very innovative with what they wear.  No matter what you wear, remember to wear comfortable shoes, as people usually spend 3 to 4 hours walking through the entire 2 levels of show. This year we were also invited to the Opening Reception celebrating the launch of the Ray-Ban Lounge in the foyer of the Collectors Lounge.  There was a live performance by artist Kwonny painting on the mural of her artwork. There were passed hors d'oeuvres and champagne.  The friendly hostesses who checked us in were amazed that we'd come all the way from the US! Food and drinks inside Art Basel are pricy as expected. We didn't buy anything this year as we attended the Ray-Ban opening reception, but we had made purchases each year in the past inside the exhibition hall or in the collectors lounge. Expect street food like egg tarts and egg waffles to be like 3 times the price outside, so was bubbles, wine and other drinks. If you would like to go to Art Basel Hong Kong, please plan ahead and purchase tickets well ahead of time.  If you book an Uber ride, make sure that you get dropped off or picked up at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center HKCEC Phase 1 Entrance. I enjoyed the exhibition and would like to return again.

Whoa, OCEAN PARK! I am impressed! I say this because I'm a huge halloween fest person. I've gone to…read moreUniversal Horror, Knotts Scary Farm, Queen Mary, (all multiple times) and various other smaller ones in LA. I mean, I'm comparing Ocean park with Universal Studios' Halloween Haunt! And guess what? I prefer Ocean Park! To give a little background, I love getting scared, I love scary movies. I DO get scared, but less so from these haunts, but I really like the feel of going in them and just admiring the decor in general. Also I went on Standard Chartered day on Fast Pass, so my experience may be significantly more pleasant. Ocean Park does get really packed and the fast pass is WORTH IT. I believe they run around $320? regular tickets are like $320? The make up and costumes were very very impressive. I have to give huge props. Honestly the ones I've seen in the US were predictable, always just clowns, bloody people. But at Ocean park, there was a lot of creativity and originality. The acting was also comparable. I hear they hire theatre students/grads, and the quality is present. They're actually not minimum wage employees contrary to my earlier beliefs! My friends who went in 2013 also thinks 2014 is way better! The guys even got a little (just a little) scared! RIGOR MORTIS: A MUST GO! try to watch the movie first. The staging ties in the movie quite well! Not that you need to watch the movie, but it's just cool. High quality props and actors CHINESE MAD-ICINE HALL: Very Chinese-y. Very well-done props! I felt like I was in an ancient movie set. HORROR WOOD STUDIOS: The first one I went to and the least scariest one so it set my expectations a bit low. A bit dark so I felt it was a cop out, but there were some shining (and screaming) moments! FOREST OF DOOM: Again, very nicely decorated, I really felt like I was in the forest! Beware if you are afraid of creepy crawlies! I actually did not try the other ones because they were all before 5pm and I was too busy looking at stingrays and pandas =p But I figured those were not scary at all anyway. But if you have a small gut, you should probably check them out and ease into it first. *** Tip: You have to book the H14 access, I did not but I hear it's actually REALLY scary and gross, plus you have to go alone. But book if you want to because same day registration is very limited. But fast pass, just don't eat inside. Bring your own water, water is $24-25 inside. Many of my girlfriends were extremely scared though! Go as early as you can to get the best bang for your buck Favourites: Good actors, high quality sets and props. Fast pass is fast! Meh: Probably super crowded on normal days. Overall: Better than LA's Universal Studio's Universal Horror!

Observation from last night: Girls will scream from horror, and guys will scream from pain as the…read moregirls grab them from behind. Being that I love Halloween, I've always liked going to these kind of events! Like Celine L., I've been to a few similar themed parks before as well (Universal, Knotts, Queen Mary, etc.) so I have something to compare to. The entire Ocean Park was Halloween themed and it was very impressive with the details. They had many horror actors scattered throughout the park scaring, sneaking up on guests, and keeping people waiting in line entertained. Some were scary, but many were also very funny. Whoever did the casting did a great job as every actor seemed to love what they do! The downside is definitely the long lines. I tried to get the 'fast pass' knowing there would be lines, but they were all sold out way early. I ended up going in with a regular ticket. With that said, definitely get the fast pass if you can. One of the haunted houses, the line took about 1.5 hours.. But toward closing time (close to 11pm) most of the lines were very short and we were able to do two houses in the final 30 mins. My goal was to do 4 haunted houses to get my moneys worth, and we ended up doing 5! So not too bad. As for the haunted houses itself, most of them were well done. If you look on the map there is a "Scare" rating. So of course the more scary ones have much longer lines. One thing I wish they did was to separate the guests into smaller groups when entering since its less scary with lots of people in front and behind you. Tips: -Wanted to do the H14, but didnt realize you had to book it in advance. -The Eerie Nippon Journey (low scare rating) was quite funny. If the line is short check it out for a good laugh! -If you are a cute girl, a cast member will probably hit on you, and the entire line will laugh at him

This movie theater is located on the first floor (L1) of the Pacific Place plaza shopping mall…read more Pacific Place is one of the high end malls in Hong Kong comparable to IFC and ICC. The move price tickets are commensurate with the atmosphere. Tickets for 2D movie run 130 hkd and if you buy online there is a 10 hkd service fee. Definitely not cheap. I usually buy my tickets online because I like to know where I'm sitting. The process for printing your tickets is quick and efficient (just a swipe of the credit card used). The movie theater itself is nice. There is pretty good food options a full stocked bar. Each screening room is fairly compact so as long as you aren't sitting too far in the front you will have a good seat. The seats are wide and comfortable. The screen is big and makes for a pleasurable viewing experience. I have seen a number of movies here and prefer it over the movie theater at Times Square or IFC.

Was an average experience until the credits stayed rolling. ...... then the house lights came up…read morefull Blast and 6 cleaners started cleaning the theatre WHILE the credits are rolling. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL. Upon exiting I spoke to the manager, Mr. Ng, who professed ignorance. ....yeah right...what, was I born yesterday?

This was the fourth year that I attended the VIP Preview of Art Basel Hong Kong as a guest of my…read moredaughter, who's a VIP of the world-class exhibition since it was launched in 2013.  She was invited to the VIP Preview and could bring 1 guest with her.  We had also been to Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland, and twice to Art Basel Miami.  Art Basel HK is as good as all the Art Basel shows, if not better.  It had successfully propelled Hong Kong into an art capital of Asia. Art Basel HK 2026 featured 240 galleries from 41 countries and territories, with a particular focus on Asia-Pacific.  The exhibition took place on Level 1 and 3 of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center and was truly huge.  If you like modern or contemporary art, this is the show for you.  It is also a perfect place for people-watching, as some attendees are very fashion-forward or very innovative with what they wear.  No matter what you wear, remember to wear comfortable shoes, as people usually spend 3 to 4 hours walking through the entire 2 levels of show. This year we were also invited to the Opening Reception celebrating the launch of the Ray-Ban Lounge in the foyer of the Collectors Lounge.  There was a live performance by artist Kwonny painting on the mural of her artwork. There were passed hors d'oeuvres and champagne.  The friendly hostesses who checked us in were amazed that we'd come all the way from the US! Food and drinks inside Art Basel are pricy as expected. We didn't buy anything this year as we attended the Ray-Ban opening reception, but we had made purchases each year in the past inside the exhibition hall or in the collectors lounge. Expect street food like egg tarts and egg waffles to be like 3 times the price outside, so was bubbles, wine and other drinks. If you would like to go to Art Basel Hong Kong, please plan ahead and purchase tickets well ahead of time.  If you book an Uber ride, make sure that you get dropped off or picked up at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center HKCEC Phase 1 Entrance. I enjoyed the exhibition and would like to return again.

Art Basel has become one of the biggest annual art exhibitions in town for quite some years now…read more Are people in Hong Kong passionate about Art Basel? Hell yeah. Are poeople in Hong Kong passionate about art? Oh well, it really depends on how do you define it. It is a Facebook/Instagram heaven for a lot of us. And bigger, shinier, fancier arts are the ones usually get more attention. It's like where you go to a fashion show and the models who dress least will get most pictures taken. Nothing wrong with that, really, whatever floats your boat I guess. Art Basel is a collective exhibition of a lot of art galleries, art dealers, individual artists and all. So it is not quite as organized as you go to an art museum. The good part is you never know what you'd expect, and never get bored walking around two / three floors of arts. If you really want to appreciate closely, you need a solid 4 hours time at least. I'll see a bit of Impressionism like Sisley or Monet, and then a bit of Cezanne, Picasso, and then mostly the modern arts with Warhol, Miro, Magritte, Dali, Calder, Nam June Paik, etc.. and a bunch of Chinese / Asian artists that I don't recognize. If you like taking pictures of arts and having a healthy annual dose of arts, then Art Basel is your perfect place. If you are an art lover, you may find it a bit repetitive after a few years, because the it is not only about exhibition, but also a platform for galleries / dealers trying to sell similar arts over and over.

It was very nice to just wait outside of the building for the train to open up. The viewpoint is…read morebeautiful lots of open sky busy street and the park is right across the street as well.

If you are going to go up and back down as a hint tell them in advance or else you will be paying…read more$28 twice. If you tell them in advance its $40. It's a 5 mins ride up to the peak. Not much to see when you are on the tram. It's basically building after building on one side and on the other some green. It's crazy pack and busy to the point you don't get a chance to see what's on display. This is a one time thing for a tourist.