Pop-up Parties in Hong Kong

There appears to be something of a pop-up revolution reshaping nightlife in Hong Kong (or maybe I'm just late to the party..?) In recent months, I've noticed more and more 'pop-up' parties literally popping up all over the place. I've attended a few and, well, they've been really great, just what I feel is missing from Hong Kong's often overly pretentious nightlife. These events appear to be attracting a really great crowd of people, good music and excellent settings. Some of these events are taking place on rooftops all over Hong Kong, so if the crowd and music weren't good enough, you can also soak up the views and general amazingness of being in the midst of Hong Kong's skyline. I've compiled a selection are groups who are putting on these pop-up parties, so take your pick and enjoy.

Rewind

Held at the Penthouse by Harlan Goldstein in The Midtown, Causeway Bay. This free party boasts a million dollar view, reasonably priced drinks, a cool crowd and very funky music. Definitely a winner. Their last event was only their third event and they were full to capacity for quite a while.

Photo's taken from Rewind's Facebook page, photo credits to Jason Dean Cooper.

George Lucas Reggae Movement

One of the OoOH HK guys pop-up events. Similar vibe to rewind, but strictly reggae. The location has so far varied from Shek O beach to the legendary Azure rooftop. There have so far only been three events of this sort, and they're already a sell out. Chilled out reggae Sundays, a dream combination.

Botellón

Botellón, Spanish for "big bottle". Another OoOH HK number, currently on Botellón XII. With the aim to bring a touch of European lifestyle to Hong Kong, in the simplest of manners, this event has unsurprisingly been a huge hit. This is basically a mass gathering of people at the amphitheatre in LKF, the organisers get the music spinning then the rest of the party is down to the crowd, bring your own bottle of something and immerse yourself with this open-minded group of Hong Kongers.

 Join the OoOH HK Facebook group to keep updated about these two event series.

*OoOH HK stands for Out of the Ordinary Happenings in Hong Kong, incase you were wondering.

Little Burro Block Party

Not only does Little Burro serve brilliant burritos, they put on a great party. Now on event number 4, the Little Burro block parties are not one to miss (unless you're like me and have to work.. hopefully I will make it to one over the summer when my schedule will change and free up my Saturdays). So anyway, I found this little quote on their event page and thought there was no way I could possibly make the event sound more appealing.

"With a (dope!) line up of guest DJs and musicians playing throughout the day, margaritas on tap, kegs flowing and burritos rolled to order, we are daytime drinking. Again. Did we stop?"

It sounds perfect, really it does. 

Unknown Pleasures

So, this series of pop-up parties hasn't event launched yet. I checked out the event page and saw that it will be held on a, yet to be disclosed, rooftop in Sheung Wan, up-and-coming artists will be playing and it's BYOB. That combination is sure to be a massive success! Definitely one to watch. Part one will be held on May 30th, the link to the event is in the title.

Any other similar event series to recommend? Please let me know!

Music Event Organisers in Hong Kong

I love Hong Kong, however something that i've always felt is lagging far behind my home country is the music scene. Saying that, there are quite a few music event organisers around which put on some fantastic events and who are all working really hard towards one goal, having a thriving music scene here in Hong Kong.
Each group specialises in slightly different genres and they all have their own unique style of putting on events, so hopefully there should be something here to please everyone!

Hybrid Group

The newest of all the groups on my list, they rebranded themselves in January 2015, formally known as EDM Freaks. As their former name suggests, they generally host Dj's specialising in electronic dance music. Under their new brand they've already brought several big names to Hong Kong including DJ Chuckie, Sunnery and James and Hook and Sling. Under their recent rebranding they are looking to bring even more variety of music to Hong Kong, so watch this space.

Fresh Off The Boat Asia

I've been a fan of these guys since first attending their warehouse party in Kwun Tong, what a night that was! These guys throw a varied mixture of events from DJ's such as Simian Mobile Disco in Fly, Brunches in Ovolo, to their recently started NiteBite events, a magical combination of food and drinks. The packages for their NiteBite series include free flow food and drinks at locations such as Boqueria, along with some top quality Dj's of course!
I'm still waiting for warehouse party part 2...
Oh, and rumour has it the event organisers actually live on a boat. How cool is that?!

Songs For Children

For all you indie music lovers, these event organisers are a must! Ran by the lovely Lammaites Mike and Jane from Scotland, they've bought across a myriad of top quality indie acts from Carl Barat to The Drums. They've recently expanded their company to be a management company and record label. Their events are always in great venues such as The Hangout in Sai Wan Ho.

Bunker Club

The first rule of Bunker Club, you do not talk about Bunker Club.
Yes, this is the place to go for your secret rave in the mountains, the forest, a country park or maybe even an actual bunker somewhere. Message the Facebook group with your email to receive the location (only released on the day of the event) along with a map.
Remember, it's a secret. Shhhhh!

Heavy Hong Kong

Hip hop, drum and bass, jungle, reggae. Nights most often held in the infamous XXX. Expect cool vibes and cool people, no champagne packages or VIP at these events. One of the rare few nights out you'll have in Hong Kong where you can experience a true night in the underground.

Follow these guys on Facebook and you should always be able find somewhere to go to fulfil your music cravings in HK.

Do you know of any other great music event companies in Hong Kong? Let me know!

New Years Eve in Hong Kong

This year I welcomed in 2015 at Tamarind restaurant in Wan Chai. What a great night it was! They have a fantastic outdoor area with an amazing view of the harbour, a perfect spot to watch the fireworks. They cleared the tables at around 10pm so one of the indoor rooms was just a big dance floor. The package was $999 which included an open bar from 8pm - 2am, an all you can eat buffet where you could sample some of the fantastic South Asian food they offer on their menu. They  also served a 'hangover' breakfast when the free-flow finished at 2am. I will 100% be returning to eat here in the New Year! Doing a package option like this was definitely a great idea for New Years, although a lot of the other packages I saw were horribly expensive, I thought this one was a reasonable price and definitely worth the money.
 I would highly recommend anyone in HK for New Year to go to Tamarind. Fireworks, great food and a healthy dose of debauchery.

Check them out here.

Happy New Year! May 2015 be your best yet.

Prost Prost Prost! Bierfest at the Marco Polo Hotel

On Saturday night we had a staff night out in Kowloon for the 22nd annual German bierfest held in the Marco Polo Hotel. The event is held in the car park of the hotel in an open aired marquee with a stunning view of Victoria Harbour. We got there early to stock up on jugs of the German beer Löwenbräu during the happy hour between 6-7, of course this was to be drank strictly from the souvenir mug given to you on arrival!

There was a range of German delicacies; sausages, pork knuckle (which was fab!) big pretzels and gingerbread. We got the food in shortly after arriving, which was fortunate as the German band 'Die Notenholber' had everyone either on the dance floor or standing on the benches within about five minutes of coming on stage - trying to sit down to eat after this time would have just been impossible. They held all kinds of competitions from horn blowing to drinking - both of which involved people from our table. They also had us doing lots traditional German dances - at one point we had to take our shoes of to clap them over our head, the chicken dance also cropped up several times throughout the night.

The last Bierfest of 2013 is this Saturday, the event is running every night of the weekend until then, go and experience the brilliant atmosphere for yourself!

Tickets and more information here.

Prost Prost Prost!

Carnage in Carnegie's

Hong Kong can be expensive to go out drinking, however it's easy enough to avoid once you know where to go. There are happy hours, ladies nights, B.Y.O.B nights, outdoor spaces to drink your supermarket purchases, 'club 7/11'. I'm dedicating this post to the dangerously good offers which can be found at Carnegie's, located in the heart of Wan Chai.

Here's all you need to know. 

Crazy hour: 6-7pm every day. $19 Standard drinks, $25 draft beers.

Monday: $20 drinks for any flight crew member.

Tuesday: Vodka Night. $10 vodka and mixer all night from 9pm

Wednesday: Ladies Night (My fave). Free flow champagne for ladies all night from 9pm. It really is unlimited!

Thursday: Jack Daniel's Night. $10 bottles of Jack Daniel's and coke. All night from 9pm

Friday: Corona Night. $10 bottles of Corona. 9pm-12am. $10 Shots of Cuervo Gold Tequila. 9-12am

Saturday: Jager Night. $10 Jagermeister all night.

($10 is about 80p)

Past about 11 o'clock it's nearly impossible to order a drink from the bar without getting kneed in the face, this is the place to go in Hong Kong for some bar top dancing.

Offers may change so keep up to date by liking their page on Facebook.

MTR Exit C.
53-55 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai.

Fresh off the Boat Asia x Sessions HK Warehouse Party in a Skatepark

On Saturday night we headed to Sk85ive2 indoor skatepark in Heng Seng industrial building, Kwung Tong, for a warehouse party hosted by Fresh Off the Boat Asia and Sessions HK. IT WAS AWESOME.
Headliners included Mykki Blanco (American DJ with a female stage alter-ego)

Photo taken from Fresh of the Boat Asia's Facebook page

 Yasmin (UK) and EVE SPECIALL

Photo of EVE from FOB's album

I wasn't sure how busy it would be given that these kind of events aren't as common in HK as they are back in the UK. It was a massive success though, so good to see big support for this kind of event.
The whole night was fantastically grimy from start to finish. We arrived at what appeared to be an empty, beaten up garage, then had to go in a very old school escalator (with the pull across gate and everything) that looked like it had seen better days, and did stop too soon, so we had to climb up to get out - arriving in style. 

inside the lift..

The venue was large and the ramps and walls were covered in advertising for Vans, it was a perfect backdrop for this event.
There was a small bar set up selling a selection of spirits, I paid $60 dollars for a generous amount of vodka and red bull. Tickets were free for the super early bird, $100 for the early bird, or $200 on the door.

my converses took a bit of a beating..

I'm now following Fresh off the Boat Asia and SessionsHK on Facebook to keep an eye out for more events like this.
Thanks for a great party!

1920's Inspired Cocktail Night at W's Woobar (Open Bar)

A few Thursday's back I headed to Woobar in W Hong Kong in West Kowloon for birthday celebrations with some of the girls. We went to the 1920's inspired vintage cocktail night which they host every Thursday from 8-10.30pm. It's 258dollars (about £22) for an open bar with a selection of 6 vintage cocktails.

Open bar, vintage, cocktails. Needless to say I was sold on the night before I arrived. (Picture taken from timeout.com.hk)

Woobar is a great location for this event, its elegant and glamorous decor instantly adds a bit of sparkle to week night drinks, and the prohibition inspired vintage theme gives the night a very of the moment 'Gatsby-esque' flair. The presentation of the cocktails and snacks are excellent, and the staff were attentive and lovely.

The food platter is an extra $40 (about £3.40) and includes a selection of seven different snacks. My favourite presentation-wise had to be the malt meringue rocks which came with a syringe filled with 80% Stroh rum, the theme is prohibition after all!

My favourite cocktail was the Moscow Mule, made with belvedere vodka, in-house made ginger beer and a squeeze of lime. Although I sampled some of the other cocktails on the menu (I also highly recommend the Clover Club), at the end of the night I came back to this classic. Refreshing and simple, the Moscow Mule is undoubtedly one of my all time favourite cocktails so I was delighted to see it on this open bar menu. Woobar do a fabulous take on it for their vintage night, served in a silver W mug.

As well as coming back for another cocktail night, I am also eager to try out Woobar's unlimited wine and cheese night held on Wednesday's and their 'femme fatal' themed night held every Tuesday - free-flow Chandon Brut N.V for the ladies!

Offers on wine, cheese, champagne and vintage cocktails. They certainly have good taste at W!


For more information on Woobar visit their website here

XXX Gallery

This was my first big night out in Hong Kong, and my favourite one still. As much as I do like going for a nice cocktail in central, for a big night out I will always feel more at home in a place with a more underground vibe. This isn't the easiest thing to come across in Hong Kong, which on the surface is a haven of rich bankers and model types, so I was very happy to be introduced to this place so quickly after moving here.
 

The music is Hip Hop, drum and base, dubstep and reggae. Their nights are usually $100 entry (about £8.40), bring your own drinks. Houseparty vibes.

UV lit staircase (taken from iamclub.co.uk)

Strictly speaking XXX is not a club, but an art gallery. Hosting art installations and photography exhibitions during the week, hence why the walls are kept white with just a couple of trademark X's for decoration.

There are no XXX nights for the time being as the Gallery in Shueng Wan has closed. They are moving to a bigger venue and I can't wait to see what they have in store. Come back soon XXX!

Keep updated - xxx