Carnival stall owners not feeling the vibes

Stacy Shi

Waterfront Carnival stall owners are riled up ahead of the fireworks display on National Day.

Despite being allowed to reopen from 10.30pm to 2am after a police reassessment of crowd-control measures, they are worried there would only be a "few visitors" left and no public transportation to get home from the carnival grounds in Wan Chai.

The stall owners were earlier told to stop operating at 4pm on Sunday to make way for the fireworks show - which they said was ironic given the night bazaar would be a nice fit for the event.

So authorities yesterday made "lenient" arrangements - allowing them to operate until 5pm and then reopening after the fireworks show from 10.30pm to 2am.

The carnival, which kicked off on Wednesday, is one of the highlights of the "Night Vibes Hong Kong" campaign to boost the evening economy.

A total of 31,888 shells will be discharged from three barges and six pontoons during the 23-minute fireworks display.

Andrew Lam Chi-hang, superintendent of the enforcement and control division at Traffic Hong Kong Island, said the earlier plans were formulated based on safety concerns for the event, hoping to balance convenience and public safety.

But stall owners argued the fireworks show will bring more people to the night bazaar and that people would like to have food and drinks while enjoying the display.

A stall owner surnamed Au said she wondered how many people would still remain at the harborfront around midnight when there might not be public transportation. Another stall owner added: "There may not be many customers and we will not operate for the second session starting 10.30pm."

Separately, a power shortage caused by an accidental cutoff nearby a construction site on Wednesday left a dozen food sellers unable to do business for nearly two hours.

A stall owner surnamed Wong said on the radio yesterday that there was no power when they started preparation at the site three days prior to the bazaar opening. "We were only provided 1,000 watts of electricity when the event opened at 6pm, not enough to allow us to cook on site and we could only sell drinks," he said.

A Development Bureau spokesman said the organizers, the Hong Kong Network for the Promotion of Inclusive Society and the Fringe Club, have confirmed a refund of additional electricity charges for stall owners and will not collect electricity fees.

The additional electricity expenditure in the future will be borne by the Development Bureau.

The spokesman also said the government contractor had installed additional power supply units at the venue yesterday morning to ensure a sufficient and stable power supply.

Special traffic arrangements for the fireworks display will be made, including roads sealed off in Wan Chai, Central and Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island starting at 7.30pm on Sunday. A part of the Island Eastern Corridor between Victoria Park Road and Man Hong Street will be closed and only public buses will be allowed entry, police said.

Roads in Tsim Sha Tsui and West Kowloon Cultural District will be sealed off in phases starting at 7pm.

The Marine Department will set up a closed area in the waters off of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai from 2pm to about 11pm, with all vessels prohibited from entering the area.

It will set up a restricted area in the Central Harbor from 8pm to 10pm.

stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.com