Despite being small in size, Hong Kong has a big appetite for live music. Chart-topping bands stop by on their world tours, and the city hosts its own homegrown music festivals, including Clockenflap and The Weekend by Wow and Flutter.

There’s also an underground music scene that has blossomed in recent years, thanks in part to an increase in small-to-mid-sized venues catering to all comers: local talent and exciting regional acts, up-and-coming international groups and globally renowned performers.

Here’s a guide the Hong Kong music venues consistently hitting all the right notes, whatever your tunes of choice.

Open-mic Jams

Open-mic nights can make for the most enjoyable evenings, as you never know how they might play out. The Wanch , a Wan Chai institution where both original rock bands and covers groups take to a tiny stage and get up close and personal with the audience, hosts regular jamming nights for up-and-comers to make their mark. There are also jamming sessions at The Aftermath  in Central, where bands play anything from swing, rock and metal, to punk, funk and pop. Long-time favourite Sense 99  has reopened in a new space on Central’s Peel Street, retaining its shabby-chic vibe and welcoming open-mic free-form jams, with a keyboard, drum kit and other instruments available to play.

All that Jazz

You can find a surprising variety of jazz styles played in Hong Kong music venues. Ned Kelly’s Last Stand  in Tsim Sha Tsui is one of Hong Kong’s oldest pubs – established in 1972 – and its house band does Dixieland jazz punctuated by amusing banter every night of the week, attracting an enthusiastic crowd to its saloon-style setting.

Foxglove  is a speakeasy offering great cocktails and live music in upscale surroundings. The venue hosts musicians from Tuesdays to Saturdays, many of whom play jazz standards, though there are also funk, soul, RnB and rock performances, all of which can be enjoyed alongside creative cocktails and modern Cantonese cuisine. 

Hong Kong concerts come in a quirky variety of spaces, too, whether it’s Central’s Salon 10 , where whimsical interiors are the backdrop for jazz, reggae and Latin music; Hostel Wontonmeen , a guest house, art space, bike shop and all-round creative living room where budding jazz musicians from around the world congregate and perform; or Visage One , run by Benky Chan, a barber by day and a music promoter by night, who transforms his small barbershop into an informal venue that welcomes jazz and blues musicians playing to an intimate, first-come, first-served crowd.

Classical Concerts

Hong Kong has two key orchestras, the HK Phil  and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta , both of which put on regular classical performances. Additionally, there are frequent concerts from international musicians, ensembles and orchestras, most of which take place at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre  in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong City Hall  in Central or the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts  in Wan Chai. These venues attract visiting orchestras and performance groups from around the world, particular during the annual Hong Kong Arts Festival , which takes place over February and March. 

At the West Kowloon Cultural District’s new Xiqu Centre , audiences get a taste of more traditional music in a performance space dedicated to Cantonese opera and other forms of Chinese theatre (xiqu).

Late-Night Cover Bands

Night owls will be pleased to know that there are plenty of bars offering a late-night escape, where live covers bands entertain revellers with rock classics and the latest chart-toppers. Some of best crowds and bands are found at Insomnia  in Lan Kwai Fong in Central, and sister bars Dusk till Dawn  in Wan Chai and All Night Long  in Tsim Sha Tsui. These spots are perennial late-night favourites for dancing and unabashed singalongs to the bands’ energetic performances.

Indie and Acoustic Acts

Poppy, mellow crooners can often be found at Lost Stars Livehouse , a full-service cafe, restaurant and live music space in Tai Kok Tsui. Another West Kowloon newcomer, Freespace , opened in 2019, offers several spaces for the performing arts – including Lau Bak Livehouse , which has since welcomed many a breathy singer armed with an acoustic guitar (as well as jazz musicians and experimental rock bands) to perform for punters enjoying a coffee or a craft brew. 

Underground Music Scene

Music outside the mainstream has long had a place in Hong Kong, even if there have been times when the Hong Kong music venues that support it have struggled. Finally, it feels like underground music is having a moment in the city.

There’s MoM Livehouse  in Fortress Hill. Hidden in the basement of a nondescript shopping mall, it might have an unlikely location but inside, when live bands take to the stage, they are often met with a heaving mass of bodies moshing to the heavy or punk-styled tunes of those who play there.

Meanwhile, Mong Kok’s MacPherson Stadium  often hosts visiting rock and indie acts – including Death Cab for Cutie and Honne in recent years – and Music Zone @ E-Max  in Kowloon Bay has hosted lauded acts like Glaswegian indie godfathers The Jesus and Mary Chain, Düsseldorf punks Die Toten Hosen and up-and-coming Sydney singer Ruel.

Touring Superstars

Hong Kong also knows how to accommodate headliners used to packing in the stadium seats. The Hong Kong Coliseum  has been a regular stage for Cantopop royalty like Joey Yung and Sammi Cheng; AsiaWorld-Expo  attracts the likes of Guns N’ Roses, Blur and Metallica, and Elton John is among the superstars to hold court at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre .

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