bc magazine

Hong Kong Pride!

The fly on the wall in the offices of the Hong Kong Tourist Board and the Chief Executive might be excused for pissing itself while listening to the discussions about the latest Hong Kong prommotional image…

All those tourists coming to Hong Kong looking for big balls and lots of action… finding none and leaving empty, longing and unfulfilled… Hong Kong’s strong ‘tourist satisfaction’ rating will become limp in the eyes of the world. With not even Jia Jia and De De able to raise some excitement.

M2M Live @ Queen Elizabeth Stadium – 29 April, 2025

The enduring love and popularity of live music was on full display last night at Queen Elizabeth Stadium as many of the predominantly female audience for Norwegian duo M2M‘s concert were younger than 25… ie born after the duo’s albums were released and the songs first became hits.

Truth be said it didn’t feel like 25 years ago that we were first listening to Don’t Say You Love Me, Everything You Do, Pretty Boy, Mirror, Mirror… the songs sounded as fresh today as they did when first released – perhaps it was just me who felt a tad ‘old’ when Marion and Marit were talking about how long ago the songs were released.

It was fun to hear the hits live, but perhaps the most emotional part of the concert was to hear Marion sing It’s All Coming Back to Me Now – her duet with Meatloaf. There’s a great live version of Meatloaf singing and chatting with the audience and recounting a story about him and Marion (can’t find a link, but here’s a link to the music video). Great to hear the other side.

Click on any picture for the full gallery of images

Set list:

The Day You Went Away
Everything You Do
The Minute
I Don’t Wanna Talk About It
Love Left For Me
Pretty Boy
Here I Am
Don’t
Under The Surface
If A Song
What You Do About Me
Driving
Don’t Save Me
It’s All Coming Back To Me Now
Mirror Mirror
Everything
——
Don’t Mess With My Love
Don’t Say You Love Me

M2M – The Better Endings Tour
Date: 8pm, 29 April 2025
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Stadium
Tickets: $2,088, $1,288, $888, $688 from Urbtix

Holi Beach Party @ Chung Hom Kok Beach – 9 March, 2025

Ten years after its first epic visit, the Holi Colour Party returned to Chung Hom Kok Beach to celebrate the triumph of good over evil with friends old and new, great music and of course lots of vibrant colour!

Even the sun agreed poking it’s head out from among the clouds on a chilly, but invigorating, spring afternoon.

Known as the ‘Festival of Colours,’ the Holi Festival is a Hindu festival that celebrates spring’s arrival, the triumph of good over evil, and the blossoming of love!

It was a ‘bigly’ fun afternoon! Thanks to the organisers who made it all possible, and to everyone who came and picked up their rubbish to ensure that the beach was cleaner than when we arrived.

Click on any photo or here for the full gallery of images

Holi Beach Party
Date: 11am-5:30pm, 9 March, 2025
Venue: to be announced
Tickets: $tbc
More info:
Bring your own food & drinks (BYOB & BYOF allowed)
For more info email [email protected]

Cage and Coffin Homes in Twenty Twenty-four

A recently published video by YouTuber Drew Binsky reminds the world of Hong Kong’s cage and coffin homes.

The video also captures the unique spirit and generosity of HongKongers and it’s that, that makes Hong Kong such a wonderful place.

Regrettably, the government’s planned new legislation only covers sub-divided flats – not cage or coffin homes.

https://youtu.be/6amK2BgjXk8?si=XMqTsxHD3rm_gRNm

Inside Hong Kong's Coffin-Sized Apartments (https://youtu.be/6amK2BgjXk8?si=XMqTsxHD3rm_gRNm)

Grand Opening @ King Ludwig am Meer, Soho West – 10 November, 2024

The King Parrot Group celebrated the opening of their latest restaurant King Ludwig am Meer in Soho West with a party on 10 November, 2024.

Okay, I know many of you will go ‘Soho West!’ Well, think of Sai Wan Ho’s Soho East in the West. It’s a short walk from Nam Cheong MTR, and while it is all high-rise concrete and glass… The waterfront promenade is pet friendly, faces west to catch the sunset, and even boasts a view of Hong Kong Island. You can also, sort of, walk along the water’s edge all the way to West Kowloon and thence to TST and the Star Ferry.

All in all, in a very manufactured way, it is rather a nice place to grab some fresh air – especially now you can enjoy a cold beer at King Ludwig and sit outside!

USMEF Oktoberfest in Central Market – 29 October, 2024

Oktoberfest is one of those fun festivals that has been adopted globally. And just as Songkran encourages us to soak others in water, Oktoberfest is an ‘excuse’ for people around the world to have fun and dance on the table…

The US Meat Export Federation hosted a night at Oktoberfest in Central Market on 29 October. The open centre of the market has been converted into a Hong Kong style German Beer Hall including a stage where traditional German music from the Notenhobler’s sets the mood.

There’s a range of traditional German dishes: pork knuckle, pretzels, sauerkraut, apple strudel and some delicious US pork ribs.

After dinner, while enjoying your beer, you can blow the big horn and start the party with some fun games.

Click here for the full gallery of images

The Hong Kong Photo Contest 2024

The Hong Kong Photo Contest 2024, organised by National Geographic, is open for entries for photos taken in Hong Kong before 3 December 2024.

This year’s six categories: City; Wildlife; Landscape; People; Mobile and Sports.

Winners will be chosen in March 2025, with the winner’s photograph in each category being published in National Geographic magazine (Traditional Chinese edition).

Submission guidelines can be found here

HKPPA News Photo of the Year: The Pillar of Shame

The Hong Kong Press Photographers Association (HKPPA) has announced the winner of its annual “Focus on the Frontline” photo competition.

The 2021 winner is HK01‘s Liu Ngan Hung for his photo “The Pillar of Shame” depicting workers removing the Pillar of Shame from HKU. The statue remembers those murdered when the People’s Liberation Army opened fire on democracy protesters in Tian’anmen Square on 4 June 1989.

The “Focus On The Frontline” photo contest began in 1993 and has become one of the most prestigious awards for local photojournalists. Through the competition, the HKPPA looks for photographs that are important to Hong Kong’s history and which combine the elements of art and journalism.

Commenting on the winner “The jury thinks ‘The Pillar of Shame’ reflects the Hong Kong people’s sustained concern over June 4th, which is also a yearning and worries for the country’s democratisation. As workers removed the pillar in the twilight, it symbolises the freedoms of thought and expression once cherished in Hong Kong being dispossessed. The lighting condition and framing of the photograph gives it a baroque aesthetic, bringing tension to the work. The posture of workers lowering their heads to avoid being photographed and the darkness that envelopes the action are metaphorical, constructing a meaning that is more than the sum of all the visual elements in the image.”

Ming Pao’s Lam Oi Yee image of people drinking on a street, metres away from a fatal car accident came second in the Spot News category.