Victoria Harbour swapped its usual weekend amble for a full‑blown music carnival as “ImagineLand” drew thousands of people to the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza and Salisbury Garden on April 25 and 26, anchoring this year’s Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival.
Over the two days, the harborfront was filled with music, film and festivity from noon until late, turning the promenade into a pop‑culture playground.
From mid‑afternoon onwards, people moved back and forth between the stages, art installations and the outdoor film screenings. By evening, the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront felt less like a promenade and more like an open space claimed, at least for a few hours, by local pop culture.
At the Forest Stage, the Go Beyond Concert mixed rising Hong Kong singer‑songwriters and bands with guests from the mainland and Thailand, underscoring the festival’s “beyond fantasy” slogan with a very real cross‑border energy. Thai vocalist New Napassorn, mainland rap poet PO8, and local acts including DJ Deanz, ROVER, and Vincy Chan drew some of the loudest cheers of the weekend.
The Seed Stage was dedicated to emerging talent. Performances were short and stripped back, pulsing with raw, unfiltered energy.
A new addition this year was the Cantopop Party. DJs dipped into old favorites, and by the end of the night, audiences were steeped in a mix of nostalgia and euphoria.
Beyond the music, the Pop Unboxed outdoor installation emerged as a hit – and it is open daily until June 30. Blending music, digital media, fashion, and animation in walk-through structures, it has quickly become a Hong Kong-meets-K-culture photo stop for festivalgoers and passing tourists alike. Families gravitated to the Funarts Corner, where creative booths and hands‑on activities offered something for everyone.
Each evening ended with “Movie Under the Stars,” pairing 2024 fantasy-romance Last Song For You on the first night with restored cult favorite Fly Me to Polaris on the second. With admission free and the Pop Culture Festival rolling on city-wide, “ImagineLand” has set a high bar – and given Hongkongers a genuine taste of pop culture.
Bernard Charnwut Chan is the chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District
𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓
