Buskers in final bow as HK closes noisy street
Print Edition
The rumbustious street performers who have long claimed one of Hong Kong’s busiest shopping districts as their informal stage took their final bow on Sunday night after local authorities caved to noise complaints over their legendary cacophony.
Under the glow of Mong Kok’s famous neon signs, buskers have been entertaining crowds — and irking neighbors — for nearly two decades in Sai Yeung Choi Street South, an area which has been regularly closed to traffic to make way for pedestrians and performers since 2000.
Drawing cheers and consternation equally, the street performers have received 320 noise complaints in just the first half of the year, according to police, with media reporting 1,200 complaints last year.
The pedestrian zone will be fully abolished and reopen to traffic starting on August 4.
“This is like a nightclub for ordinary people... I hope the government will support this street culture,” said actor Bobby Yip.
But residents and shopkeepers nearby say the constant cacophony has given them a headache, at times literally.
“It does create trouble in our daily lives, including disturbing my son’s study,” Gabriel Wai, who lives in the area, said. The district council passed a motion in May to scrap the zone.
WiFi Band, who have performed in the area for the last few years, say the group might relocate to Causeway Bay’s Times Square or Tsim Sha Tsui — also commercial districts.
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