AIRSIDE Christmas: Retro Encounter

EVENT DESCRIPTION

AIRSIDE, the Nan Fung Group’s flagship project in Kai Tak, is presenting its first Christmas Market, titled “AIRSIDE Christmas: Retro Encounter”. With “RETRO” as the main theme, the festival will take everyone on a retro arts and cultural journey through different sub-themes of “Recreation”, “Eco-awareness”, “Taste”, “Retail”, and “Originality”.

The 16-day Christmas Market will be held every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from December 9 onwards and opens daily from December 23 to January 1. There will be five major themed events, including live performances by highly creative local singers, the first roller skating rink in Kai Tak, a pet-friendly area, green festive experiences, and a fun-filled Christmas Market featuring popular local brands ranging from festive food and drinks, cultural and creative products, and local handicrafts to pet products. The market will also feature a pop-up store managed by singer Louis Cheung’s vintage fashion brand Petrolhead, which will add a nostalgic vibe to the Christmas season and inject a new sense of interactivity into Kai Tak.

Highlight event 1: Live music performances by local and indie artists
AIRSIDE supports creativity and connects with its audience through creative local music. A strong line-up of local and indie artists will share their music with audiences at the Market. The first week will feature singers Alfred Hui and mansonvibes, with the opening act performed by mue x Daniel Toh; Jay Fung x Feanna Wong and Kiri T x Jill Vidal in the second week, and on Christmas eve Cath Wong and per se will sing and play at the same time. Finally, on December 31 XTIE and Rock Hill Street will join in for the finale. So be sure to come along and support local music!

Highlight event 2: Over 50 food and lifestyle booths with local hero brands and sustainable options
AIRSIDE will launch its first “RETRO” Arts and Culture Market, featuring more than 50 food and lifestyle brands every week for visitors to enjoy delicious snacks and special drinks. The market will present a wide variety of gift shops, creative lifestyle brands and handicraft shops; including city super, the Cupping Room, Lobster Boss, Sofe Coffee, Uen.hk, Disk Too and many more, to make the market a must-visit festive spot for everyone!

The market will also showcase the outcomes of Nan Fung’s community project, “In Time Of “, which has been working closely with neighbouring organisations in Kai Tak. Several pop-up booths will be set up at the market by different organisations under the themes of “Community Farm”, “My Little Story” and “Farm to Bar”.

The “Community Farm” and “Farm to Bar” make use of various unused spaces in the community, including the Lomfa Fair, China Bright Production and the rooftop and open area of the Lok Sin Tong Wong Chun Ming Secondary School, to practice urban farming. They will take this opportunity to showcase the harvests of their community farm projects for Christmas. Products include microgreens and edible plants planted by the Lok Sin Tong Wong Chun Ming Secondary School and Mindfield. The “Farm to Bar” booth demonstrates the “Grab and Go” concept and collaborates with several popular local alcoholic beverage brands to create different daily signature cocktails. Be sure to come along and support them if you love cocktails! “My Little Story” features a wide range of sustainable and homegrown brands, giving you a taste of local flavours and a sense of the interaction between Nan Fung and the community. There will also be a series of highlighted products including spicy oil, mochi, jelly, Perilla XO sauce and Tempeh paste.
Highlight event 3: The first roller skating rink in Kai Tak, a place to party and enjoy fun-filled gatherings with friends
The “AIRSIDE Christmas: Retro Encounter” is the perfect place for families, sports enthusiasts, and pet lovers to gather and enjoy the festive spirit. AIRSIDE is excited to introduce the first roller skating rink in Kai Tak and offer roller skating classes for children and adults. There will also be themed DJ parties every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So be ready to meet up with your friends and get your body rolling!

Highlight event 4: A pet-friendly zone makes AIRSIDE a perfect spot to bring your pooch out for a festive celebration
For those who want to spend the festive season with their beloved pets, the market features an exclusive pet-friendly zone so pets and their owners can enjoy some fun together. Besides photogenic spots, it also has a wide range of booths selling pet food and products like burgers, popcorn, sausage snacks and beer to satisfy pets and owners alike.

Highlight event 5: Retro Pop at Kai Tak, the mix of new and nostalgic surprises
The AIRSIDE Christmas Market will also feature a retro-pop design, creating an extraordinary Christmas atmosphere. Vintage arcade and pachinko machines will be set up for everyone to reminisce about the happy days of the 80s and 90s when they used to go to the arcades to play the machines. In collaboration with Social Nerd, AIRSIDE has invited the newly emerging local fashion designer Sonic Lam and graphic designer KATOL to create a giant Christmas art installation with upcycled fabrics and colourful graffiti and images, using Kai Tak, nostalgia, and community culture as a creative inspiration.
When it comes to nostalgia the vintage clothing brand, Petrolhead excels. Managed by local singer Louis Cheung and his partner, the brand, will set up a pop-up store on December 17 and 18 to introduce vintage clothing with elements of “workwear, military, denim and motorcycles” to promote a stylish fashion attitude.

Highlight event 6: Green festive experiences integrate with the new urban lifestyle concept of “WHOLENESS”
AIRSIDE embraces a new urban lifestyle concept of “WHOLENESS”, integrating sustainability with mixed-use commercial development and retail spaces. Sustainability and a green lifestyle are among the areas that AIRSIDE actively promotes, encouraging the public to act together to strengthen the resilience of the city. For example, the festival will provide a reusable tableware rental service and kitchen residue will be recycled by the Hong Kong Organic Waste Recycling Centre. This will offer visitors an even more meaningful Christmas to help the earth celebrate a little as well.