West Kowloon Cultural District (Hong Kong)

The West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) is an important strategic investment of the Government to support the long-term development of arts and culture in Hong Kong. In 2008, the Government established a statutory body, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA), and gave a one-off upfront endowment of HK$21.6 billion to the WKCDA to implement the WKCD project. The WKCD will be an integrated arts and cultural district with world class facilities, distinguished talents, iconic architecture and quality programmes with a must-visit appeal to both local residents and visitors from around the world.

The WKCD site has an area of about 40 hectares. Performing arts venues of different types and scales including Mega Performance Venue, Concert Hall, Recital Hall, Xiqu Centre, Musical Theatre, Medium Theatres, Blackbox Theatres, Lyric Theatre, Outdoor Theatre, Freespace, etc. will be provided in the WKCD in phases. A cultural institution with museum functions (M+) focusing on 20th to 21st century visual culture and an exhibition centre with focus on arts and culture and creative industries will also be built in the WKCD. Tailored to the development needs of various art forms, this combination of facilities will enable people of all ages and from all walks of life to enjoy diverse cultural and arts activities.

The planning design principles adopted by the WKCDA in planning the WKCD include, amongst others, accessibility and connectivity. The objectives are to make arts and culture accessible to everyone and connect the WKCD to the lives of the people.