Restaurants near the Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong saw a surge in business during K-pop powerhouse Blackpink’s concert weekend, with many reporting a 100% increase in customers compared with usual days.
The globally popular Korean girl group Blackpink held the final stop of their "Deadline" world tour at the Kai Tak Stadium from Jan. 24 to 26. The event not only created a vibrant scene inside the venue, but also significantly boosted the surrounding commercial consumption.
Since Friday, excitement filled the area around Kai Tak MTR station, where crowds of fans dressed in black-and-pink outfits and carrying Blackpink’s signature hammer light stick gathered. Inside the station concourse, some of the group’s best-known tracks – including “Kill This Love” and “How You Like That” – played to welcome concertgoers.
Many fans chose to dine in the surrounding area before entering, boosting the popularity of the commercial district.
Hongkongers Jadie Wong and Emily Lee, who attended the show, said they waited nearly an hour in line for a table at a restaurant inside the Airside, a shopping complex near the stadium.
“The restaurant is very busy today with a large number of customers,” they added.
Several eateries around the stadium launched themed promotions to draw in fans.
"Garden of Eatin," located near the sports arena, introduced limited edition items such as a "Pink Burger" and Earl Grey tea served in Blackpink-style cups.
Owner Edward Tsang said these special items were designed specifically for Blackpink fans.
“This type of limited-time product was very popular during Blackpink concerts, with customer traffic increasing by 80% to 100%,” he added.
Tsang expected the momentum to continue with upcoming shows at Kai Tak, including a concert by K-pop boy band Seventeen on Feb. 28.
A barbecue restaurant “Gyu-Kaku” located in a shopping mall near the Kai Tak Stadium has also adopted a similar approach, launching a "Blackpink fan Set" and exclusive co-branded desserts, limited-edition desserts.
Yung Yun, shop owner, said that business performance on concert days increased by about 100% compared to usual.
The Blackpink concert held from Jan. 24 to 26 brought a notable influx of visitors to Hong Kong, resulting in one of the busiest weekends of the month for local businesses.
Hong Kong’s inbound visitor figures also rose over the concert weekend. Immigration Department statistics show that total visitor arrivals on Jan. 24 reached 230,524, a 17.85% increase from 195,612 a week earlier, while arrivals on Jan. 25 and 26 stood at 206,362 and 169,588 respectively, bringing the three-day total to 606,474.
Terence Chong Tai-leung, an economics professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said weekend arrivals were approximately 100,000 higher than on a typical regular weekend – an increase of nearly 50% – largely driven by the concerts.
“It is estimated that about 150,000 people dined in the area on a single day. Compared with the daily inbound population data and retail indicators, the foot traffic in the catering industry has roughly doubled,” he said.
Chong added that large-scale international performances like this one not only benefit merchants near Kai Tak Stadium but also lift broader sectors, including transportation, retail, and catering.
“It is expected that the Blackpink concert can bring up to HK$ 200 million in comprehensive income to the Hong Kong economy,” he said.
《The Young Reporter》
The Young Reporter (TYR) started as a newspaper in 1969. Today, it is published across multiple media platforms and updated constantly to bring the latest news and analyses to its readers.
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