A “Happy Hong Kong” Supporting Event in Eastern District
As a showcase of the wider Hong Kong society’s creativity, and with the aim of injecting fun and positive energy into the community, “Quarryside Summer Fest” (the Fest) officially kicked off today at Quarryside, a newly-launched community space in Quarry Bay.
The Fest is one of the “Happy Hong Kong” Supporting Event organised by St. James’ Settlement, with the Eastern District Office of Home Affairs Department as the co-organiser and sponsor. As the Community Sponsor, Swire Properties is providing exclusive food and drinks offers in partnership with selected F&B outlets in the district.
The Fest’s opening ceremony was held today, officiated by a host of special guests including: Mr Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR Government; Mr Clarence Leung, Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs of the HKSAR Government; Mrs Alice Cheung Chiu, Director of Home Affairs of the HKSAR Government; Mr Simon Chan, District Officer (Eastern) of Home Affairs Department of the HKSAR Government; Mr Brian Li, Vice Chairman of St. James’ Settlement’s Executive Committee; and Mr Tim Blackburn, Chief Executive of Swire Properties.
Some 200 guests and members of the public were invited to the opening ceremony. Highlights of the event include the eye-catching inflatable installation and customised community art installation; as well as a host of summer-themed snack booths, which are very popular.
What’s more, Financial Secretary Mr Paul Chan took this opportunity to sample a cup of hand-drip coffee made by the young entrepreneur who will be operating the coffee shop at Quarryside. An award-winning local acapella group “boonfaysau” also performed a sugar-themed medley of Hong Kong pop songs, inspired by Quarry Bay’s history of sugar refinery, to add to the delightful festivities.
“We are thankful for the support from the Eastern District Office and Swire Properties for making this Quarryside Summer Fest a successful event, and it is an honour to be one of the “Happy Hong Kong” supporting events. As the first community festive event held at Quarryside since its opening, we hope to bring more creativity-led activities to the public, and provide a new arts and culture and community space in Eastern District,” said Mr Brian Li, Vice Chairman of St. James’ Settlement’s Executive Committee.
The Financial Secretary Mr Paul Chan said that the Quarryside Summer Fest features an array of exciting activities, as well as attractive F&B offers by local outlets in Quarry Bay. I hope the positive energy created from this event would be passed onto the community. From the venue to the activities of the Fest, we can see the tripartite collaboration of Government, NGOs and the private sector for the betterment of the community.
Mr Tim Blackburn, Chief Executive of Swire Properties, said, "We are delighted to kick off the ‘Quarryside Summer Fest’ and to help Hong Kong residents relax, recharge and enjoy the live entertainment, food and drink, and art and culture, at one of the city’s newest community spaces. We have a deep connection with Quarry Bay, and we are very pleased to be able to collaborate with the Eastern District Office of Home Affairs Department and St. James’ Settlement as part of our commitment to building vibrant communities.”
Created with Health and Wellness in mind, the Fest features a multitude of free arts and cultural activities for young and old alike. Featured activities include Silent Disco x Yoga & Mindfulness, and swing dance, which offer visitors new healthy experiences.
A large inflatable balloon has been anchored at this new community space in the Eastern District and is set to be a wonderful social media check-in spot. There is also an art installation featuring 27 sets of sugar-cube-like blocks, which visitors can play and interact with – adding more colour to the space.
The highlight of the Fest will be the live music performance on the evening of 26 August. An exciting line-up of up-and-coming Hong Kong musical talents will showcase a variety of music genres to celebrate the summer season. Performers include:
- mansonvibes – home-grown singer-songwriter;
- Lester Lam – independent singer-songwriter;
- Alan Kwan x Ricky Wong – Hong Kong-based guitarist and keyboardist;
- “boonfaysau” – Awarding-winning local acapella group.
Visitors are recommended to try out all the activities for free such as quick portrait drawing, balloon twisting, bubble fun, Ro Ro Reading Taxi, as well as the 14 free arts & crafts sessions, tasting workshops and family activities including bamboo handfan weaving, peanut brittle making, food waste jewelry upcycling, local fruit aromas: herbal tea-bag, coffee tasting workshops and “The Ocean Adventure” Theatre, which are all available for pre-registration.
With support from Swire Properties, over 40 F&B outlets (Chinese, Western, Japanese, Korean cuisines and more) across Taikoo Place and Quarry Bay have created exclusive offers tailor-made for the Fest. For example, foodies can try out exclusive items for HKD50 during the Fest at F&B outlets such as MR & MRS FOX, KIN Food Halls, CATCH and Pici.
Admission to the Quarryside Summer Fest is free, today and tomorrow. Pre-registration is required for selected activities. There is a limited walk-in quota for such activities, on a first-come, first-served basis. For full details, visit www.quarryside.hk.