Kai Tak Sports Park named one of TIME’s World’s Greatest Places 2026

2026-03-16 - 06:46

Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park has been included on TIME’s World’s Greatest Places 2026 list, with the American magazine praising the stadium as a “technological standout.” Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong. Photo: GovHK. The mention on the annual list comes as Kai Tak Sports Park – which cost HK$30 billion to build – marks its first anniversary. Kai Tak Sports Park is a “sprawling new district that has transformed the Kowloon Bay waterfront,” TIME wrote. The publication lauded the park’s 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium, calling it a “shimmering orb” that has seen events such as the Hong Kong Sevens and a four-night Coldplay concert last year. “With a fully soundproof and retractable roof, adaptable pitch, in-seat cooling, and sweeping harbor views from the lively South Terrace, the stadium is a technological standout,” the magazine added. TIME also highlighted the venue’s other facilities. “Beyond that, the 69-acre park features a 10,000-seat arena, youth sports ground, tennis and beach volleyball courts, a track, a playground, an outdoor theater, large-scale public art displays, and pop-up food markets,” it wrote. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law (left) watches the third-place match between the Hong Kong and Beijing men’s teams at Kai Tak Sports Park on November 10, 2025. Photo: Rosanna Law, via Facebook. Opened in March last year, Kai Tak Sports Park is the largest sports infrastructure project in Hong Kong’s history. The government said its opening would help attract major international events and stars to the city. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law said in December that the venue put Hong Kong “back on the map.” This month, the sports park’s stadium will host concerts by Taiwanese band Mayday, and next month, the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament. Events held at the stadium, however, have also drawn some backlash. During the Hong Kong Sevens last year, vendors reportedly ran out of food, with Law admitting to reporters that she waited “for quite a while” for her hamburger. Fans who attended the Coldplay and Cantopop star Nicholas Tse’s concerts in April last year also complained of obstructed views at the stadium.