Occupy forces HK festival to switch location

Hong Kong’s Wine and Dine festival changed the venue for this year’s show due to potential disruption caused by Occupy Central.

The festival, taking place at the end of October and into early November, took place at the New Central Harbour front last year but has been moved to the former airport at Kai Tak this time around due to potential transport difficulties around Central.

The Occupy Central protests are now entering their sixteenth day and while they may have ended by the time the festival begins, the organisers have evidently decided not to take that chance.

The move has caused around 40 to 50, mainly local, food companies to drop out of the event although some 260 companies from 18 countries are still expected to attend.

The chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board which organises the event, Peter Lam Kin-ngok, told The Standard: “Most of the dropouts are local food companies. They need to move [their wares] from Central [but don’t want to].”

The board is offering a discount of up to 30% in a bid to perhaps bring in new exhibitors and will also be laying on free shuttle bus services to the venue from three MTR stations (East Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon Tong and Lam Tin).

New exhibitors at the festival this year include Greece, Israel, Portugal and Slovenia.