New curtain rises: East Kowloon Cultural Centre prepares to spotlight city's talents this Nov

The East Kowloon Cultural Centre (EKCC) is set to fully open its doors in November, promising to be a vibrant hub for the city's artistic performances with five major performance venues.

Located at the former Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate, the 2.16-hectare center will have performance halls and studios for dance, music, Cantonese opera, and drama, with seating capacities ranging from 120 to 1,200 people.

Among the five venues, the 1,200-seat hall is equipped with advanced stage technology, including a multi-directional immersive sound system, a 4K high-definition projection system, an automatic stage tracking system, and media servers, tailored for large-scale events.

+3

Meanwhile, the theater offers 536 seats, with a thrust stage that brings performers closer to the audience, creating a more intimate and interactive environment.

"The Turns" is designed with retractable seating and a sprung floor, making it ideal for full-wall projections, dance, and theatrical performances.

With 120 seats, "The Beats" features professional audio mixing and amplification systems, making it perfect for band performances and music recordings.

Notably, the center also includes an  "Incubators", which offer three studios equipped with mirrored walls, ballet barriers, built-in sprung floors and an audio system for rehearsals and research, accommodating between 243 to 258 people.

500 trial performances

Since its phased outdoor opening in October 2021, the center has hosted 500 performances as part of its "Unbox EKCC" Trial Programmes Series, attracting over 200 industry professionals and more than 13,000 audience members.

Manda Chan Wing-man, Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, highlighted the center's integration of art and technology, where audience experiences are comparable to those in professional cinemas.

The department expressed wishes to draw a variety of performances to Hong Kong, akin to New York's Broadway and London's West End, offering citizens and visitors access to high-quality productions.