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Lo Hoi-ying

About 63,000 people took part in the largest drill yet at Kai Tak Sports Park on Friday night and 80 per cent of them were dispersed within 20 minutes, Hong Kong’s No 2 official said, adding that the exercise provided valuable crowd and transport data.
The test run at three venues was held just over a month before the park reportedly officially opens on March 1, becoming the city’s largest sporting and concert facility.
Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki could not confirm the launch date, but said he was confident the park could handle its peak capacity after Friday’s event.
“We are very satisfied with today’s event,” he told a press briefing.
“I believe that if 63,000 leaving at the same time didn’t cause a problem, then it’s safe to say we can disperse 50,000 people in the future,” he said, referring to the capacity of the main Kai Tak Stadium.


Chan said future events at the three venues would stagger their finish times so crowds would not be dismissed all at once.
As part of the drill, police officers reenacted scenarios such as a spectator trying to enter with a fake ticket, a drunk man making a scene at the bar and a dispute over queue-cutting, which security personnel handled quickly.
Some 48,000 civil servants made up 80 per cent of Friday’s crowd, with their families and members of community organisations comprising the rest.
Chan said the manpower was deployed without affecting operations and staff would be compensated accordingly for their time.
Attendee Minnie Tsui, who arrived at Kai Tak MTR station at around 7pm, said she had to wait about 50 minutes before she could enter the venue because of the big crowds.
“We had to snake around the entrance and some paths were closed off, making it very packed,” she said. “I’m leaving early because I’m afraid of a crowd crush if everyone leaves at the same time.”
Jeff Ip, who is a member of the Fanling community care Team, said food vendors should offer more choice.
“Now, they only have chips and snacks, but I hope they can add more filling items like hot dogs or burgers, because those would go well with a football match,” said Ip, who is in his thirties.
The drill involved simultaneous events at Kai Tak Stadium, the 10,000-capacity Kai Tak Arena and Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground, which has seating for 5,000.
About 50,000 people started streaming into Kai Tak Stadium from 6pm, passing through bag checks and ticket verification.

Similar to previous events, temporary shelves outside the stadium were filled with water bottles, half-consumed drinks and lunchboxes as no outside food and drinks were allowed inside due to security reasons.
A rock band formed by police officers opened the 1½-hour show, followed by performances from other disciplined services.
Another 13,000 people were at Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground and Kai Tak Arena to simulate crowds entering and leaving the venues. They sat inside for around two hours without any performances taking place.
The exercise simulated various scenarios, including an emergency evacuation at Kai Tak Arena.
When the programme in the stadium ended at 9.30pm, tens of thousands of spectators streamed out, filling the path leading to the two nearest MTR stations.
Spectators flowed out of the stadium for at least 20 minutes.

A special coach drop-off area, which had its own security check counters, handled around 200 people for the first time on Friday. Kai Tak Sports Park traffic manager Alan Chan said the area could accommodate 55 coaches.
The first 30 minutes of entry were free for picking up and dropping off spectators, with a HK$35 fee for every hour thereafter, he said.
“We are in discussions with two cross-border bus services and there will be daily cross-border routes stopping at Kai Tak Sports Park, even on days with no event,” he said.
British rock band Coldplay will play four shows there in April, while Taiwanese megastar Jay Chou will perform for three nights in June.
Cantopop star and actor Nicholas Tse Ting-fung would be the first Hong Kong musician to hold a solo concert at the stadium on April 25 and 26.


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About 50,000 people were in the main Kai Tak Stadium on Friday night. Photo: SCMP/ Dickson Lee

The crowds head for the exits on Friday night. Photo: Dickson Lee

Kai Tak Sports Park will officially open in March. Photo: Jelly Tse

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Spectators at a charity music concert at Kai Tai Sports Park. Photo: Edmond So

Authorities say the main purpose of the drill is to assess the capacity of the sports park. Photo: Nora Tam

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The main stadium at Kai Tak Sports Park will host the largest trial event to date, with an estimated crowd of 18,000 expected at a concert on Saturday. Photo: Eugene Lee

Jay Fung will perform alongside Cloud Wan, Jace Chan and local band Dear Jane at Saturday’s trial concert. Photo: Facebook/Jay Fung

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The Kai Tak stadium will hold a rugby test match on Sunday. Photo: Nora Tam

Authorities will test an internal communication platform for mobilising taxis during the event. Photo: Nora Tam

Food kiosks have been set up in the stadium selling items such as hamburgers, fries and hot dogs. Photo: Nora Tam

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Thai female singer Bowkylion and Mirror performing. Photo: Nora Tam

Music fans queue outside Kai Tak Arena for security checks. Photo: Nora Tam

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Chief Secretary Eric Chan says 80 per cent of crowd dispersed within 20 minutes


Chief Secretary Eric Chan says 80 per cent of crowd dispersed within 20 minutes.
