NEWS

LEGOLAND comes to town

LEGOLAND Discovery Centre officially opened its doors last month at K11 Musea. At a whopping 30,000 square feet, the indoor playground features 10 impressive themed areas designed to entertain and educate the whole family. The centre includes creative workshops, a 4D cinema, two indoor rides and awe-inspiring display of Hong Kong’s most famous buildings and landmarks made from 1.5 million LEGO pieces. The display was created by 46 LEGO builders over 7,150 hours and includes scaled-down versions of the Star Ferry Central Pier, Peak Tram, Tai O, Temple Street and more. The cityscape also transforms from day to night every four minutes. legolanddiscoverycentre.com

Sai Kung student releases debut album

Sai Kung resident and Hong Kong Academy graduate Dylan Halbroth released his debut album Against The Dying Light on Spotify last month, in support of Mind Hong Kong. Having struggled with a variety of mental illnesses, including depression and anxiety, Halbroth is eager to use this project to raise awareness of mental health issues in creatives. Each song in the EP is representative of an emotion/disorder and 25% of streaming income will be donated to charity. Halbroth is currently in his final year at Berlin University of the Arts. He is also part of Hong Kong alternative rock band Asyndeton. Alongside his album, Halbroth plans to release a mini-documentary in which he interviews up and coming Berlin-based creatives about their art and mental health. “With this, I aim to provide a raw perspective on the different ways mental illness affects all of us,” he said. @darkatthree

Instagram Pier closes to the public

The popular Instagram Pier in Kennedy Town, also known as the Western District Public Cargo Working Area, has been closed to the public. While access to the pier was never legal, the government tolerated its use and the pier was even promoted on the Hong Kong Tourism Board website. Residents and visitors were shocked to find its gates locked and guarded last month. Those who attempted to access the location were informed they needed a staff card to prove they worked there. The Hong Kong Government has since stated Covid concerns as its reason for closing the pier, but many residents believe rising tension between visitors and cargo workers was the cause.

Pets grounded by pandemic

With travel restrictions and a mandatory twoweek quarantine for pilots and cabin crew, the future of Hong Kong air travel is uncertain. Last month, Cathay Pacific announced a temporary suspension on pets travelling as check-in baggage or cargo on flights out of Hong Kong, until April 30. Pet owners planning to relocate in the coming months have already found it difficult to book their pets onto a flight, now with even less options, there is a worry many will be left abandoned. “We have temporarily stopped pet shipments. The service may resume again in May, but there will be an update in mid-April,” said a spokesperson from Cathay Pacific.

UA Cinema closes its doors

One of Hong Kong’s main theatre chains, UA Cinemas shut its doors for good last month citing unavoidable and devastating pressure from the pandemic as the reason for its sudden closure. The theatre chain was originally founded by businessman Ira Kaye in 1985, with its first location in Sha Tin’s New Town Plaza. The chain had only six locations left in the city including Citygate Outlets, Maritime Square, Times Square, Megabox and Amoy Plaza in Kowloon Bay.

Hotel quarantine walk-a-thon raises $150k

Facing his fourth quarantine in a year, Hong Kong-based journalist Frederik Balfour set a goal to walk 10,000 steps a day while cooped up at the Best Western Plus in Sheung Wan. Throughout his quarantine, Balfour walked a total of 200km and is on a mission to raise $200,000 for the Splash Foundation, a charity that gives foreign domestic workers and underprivileged kids the chance to learn how to swim. “It wasn’t until I was two weeks in that I realised all my pacing was a great way to raise money for charity. I started walking 10,000 steps a day in a room nine paces long and gradually got more and more ambitious.” The $200,000 goal will make it possible for 100 students to take part in Splash Foundation’s free classes. splashfoundation.org

news Students bring solar energy to ESF

In 2019, three Renaissance College students Jane Chan, Taylor Chung and Ankita Joshi set out to bring solar energy to their campus. English Schools Foundation (ESF) and CLPe Solutions have recently announced that since that date, a total of 1,400 solar panels have been installed across eight ESF schools. The founding students of the project came up with the idea to put their school’s large rooftop area to good use, commissioning designs, negotiating with suppliers and applying for funding. As a result, the clean energy created by these newly installed solar panels will reportedly reduce carbon emissions by nearly 280 tonnes within a year. The eight schools include Bradbury, Clearwater Bay, King George V, Kowloon Junior, Renaissance College, Sha Tin College, South Island School and West Island School. esf.org.hk