On This Day | How Hong Kong Fringe Club got its start in a historic building in Central in 1984 — from the SCMP archive
- Four decades after the Fringe Club found a home in a heritage building at the junction of Wyndham Street and Lower Albert Road, we look back at how the Post covered the lead up its opening
- For years, the non-profit arts centre was home to the annual Fringe Festival before turning it into a permanent exhibition and performance space
By Liz Block
The Hong Kong Festival Fringe has found a home.
For the duration of Fringe ‘84 from Saturday (January 21) until February 19, the old Dairy Farm Building at the junction of Wyndham Street and Ice House Street, Central, will house the Fringe Club, a place where Fringe members can gather and relax and where Fringe and Arts Festival performers can showcase their works in an informal atmosphere.
For Fringe manager Mr Benny Chia, allocation of the space to the Fringe represents the fulfilment of a long-held dream.
“Where else can you find a loft like this outside Soho?” he said.
The building used to be a warehouse for cold storage.
“I grew up in this area and I’ve walked past this building as long as I can remember.
“But I didn’t actually walk in until the summer of 1982 — the summer before our first Fringe — and I knew then that this was the right place for a Fringe Club.”
