Company that brought Coldplay to Hong Kong to open new concert venue this year

The organiser that brought popular bands Coldplay and Blackpink to Hong Kong will fill a “venue gap” by opening a new mid-sized concert space this autumn, adding to the city’s efforts to develop a mega-event economy.

Live Nation’s president of venue development in Asia, Stephanie Bax, said on Wednesday the company would convert part of The Whampoa, the ship-shaped shopping centre in Hung Hom, into a live music venue with a standing capacity of 1,500, called Tides.

“People come to Hong Kong for many reasons, but they stay for the energy and that’s so important when you’re throwing live events,” she said. “We want to tap into that energy, so Hong Kong just seemed like an obvious choice.”

Bax said Live Nation had initiated the project and would fund and operate the venue, with support from the government.

Joanna Yuen, the company’s managing director in Hong Kong, said the site addressed “a significant venue gap” in the city, as there were currently only small clubs for music performances or the new 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium, with few mid-sized options in between.

The stadium opened in March as part of the government’s efforts to boost the city’s economy through hosting mega-events.