A tidal wave of beer and noise crashed out of the notorious South Stand. Broadcast cameras and travel sections turned once again to Kai Tak. From April 17 to 19, 2026, the Hong Kong Sevens returned to the Kai Tak Stadium, where 30 teams battled through 72 games in front of more than 100,000 roaring fans.
I came all the way from Fiji just for this,” said Noa, a rugby fan attending her first Hong Kong Sevens. She was staying three days with her mother.
For her, Kai Tak delivered exactly what it promised: a world-class event in a brand-new stadium. For Hong Kong, the HK$30 billion Kai Tak Sports Park is a different kind of promise. It is a landmark bet on the future — transforming an old airport into a runway for live events, hoping the world will keep landing here.
On the surface, that bet is paying off. But as the final whistle fades and the visitors fly home, Kai Tak’s story keeps going. The stadium’s own finances and the surrounding neighbourhoods reveal two separate questions: can the stadium turn crowds into profit, and can the neighbourhood catch up the vision?
Can the stadium turn crowds into profit?
What works: crowds, global recognition, and built-in sustainability
Since its opening on March 1, 2025, Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP) has reported strong public usage figures. According to the park’s website, it has hosted over 120 international and local sports and entertainment programmes in its first year, with utilisation rates nearing 90 per cent. The main stadium alone attracted over 1.9 million attendees and was named Asia’s top ticket seller for 2025 by Pollstar, the live entertainment industry tracking organisation.
That level of activity is reflected in standout events. A four-night Coldplay run drew over 200,000 fans. By July 2025, the stadium had welcomed its 1 millionth visitor during the Hong Kong Football Festival. Upcoming highlights include Sammi Cheng’s two-night “You & Mi” Asia tour finale at the stadium on July 10-11, 2026.
In March 2026, Kai Tak Sports Park was named to TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places list — the only Hong Kong attraction to receive the honour, according to China Daily.
The park also embedded sustainability into its design. According to the park’s website, more than 1,000 trees were planted, achieving a green ratio of over 30 per cent. The development has received Platinum under BEAM Plus, Gold under LEED, and three stars under the Hong Kong Green Label Scheme.
What doesn’t work: the revenue retention gap
Publicly available financial disclosures show the park is losing money. CTF Services, which holds a 25 per cent stake in the park, said its operator Kai Tak Sports Park Limited (KTSPL) reported an operating loss during the ramp-up phase.
Pollstar data shows the stadium sold nearly HK$1.5 billion in tickets in its first year. But according to Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law, government records indicate the park’s actual revenue in its first nine months was only HK$200 million — a gap that largely reflects revenue not retained by the park, potentially lost to event promoters and external contractors.
Just over a year after opening, the park’s inaugural chief executive, John Sharkey, stepped down on April 1, 2026. The operator described his departure as part of “long-term strategic planning,” but did not provide further details. Whether the departure signals a reassessment of the park’s financial model remains unclear.
Can the neighbourhood catch up with the vision?
But the stadium’s fate is only half the story. Twenty minutes’ walk away, along the former runway, a quieter — and more complicated — reality unfolds.
According to the Civil Engineering and Development Department, the Kai Tak Development was designed as a “heritage, green, sports and tourism hub” — a dense, vibrant district integrating housing, leisure, and transport. Yet for many residents, the problem is not what Kai Tak will become, but how it is being built.
Transport: the problem everything else depends on
On paper, Kai Tak is well connected. The Tuen Ma Line serves the area via Kai Tak Station and Sung Wong Toi Station. Minibuses also operate several routes in the district. Other options include the Kowloon City Ferry Pier from North Point, cross-boundary coaches from the Greater Bay Area, and three carparks with drop-off/pick-up areas for taxis and private cars.
But for residents living along the runway, those connections often feel distant rather than accessible. “The MTR is there, but not really usable from here,” said Lam Wai-fong, a resident. Getting to key areas such as Airside can take up to 30 minutes on foot. “At night it’s okay — like exercise,” she said. “But during the day, especially in summer, you won’t want to do that.”
Urban planners call this a “last mile problem” — major infrastructure exists, but the final connection fails. In Kai Tak, that gap is not theoretical.
Andy Sun, an engineer who has worked on Kai Tak residential projects, said the issue reflects a deeper planning mismatch. “The buildings came up quickly, but transport takes longer,” he said. “People have already moved in, but the system around them isn’t ready.”
The government has acknowledged the issue. In response to repeated inquiries, the Development Bureau said that a proposed elevated, driverless “smart and green” transport system — spanning about 3.5 kilometres — aims to connect the runway area directly to existing MTR stations, with a target completion of 2031. No acceleration has been announced.
For now, the imbalance affects everything: access to food and services, and whether the area feels livable at all. “It’s not that nothing exists,” Lam said. “It’s just too far to be part of daily life.”
Community: a mixed picture still taking shape
Beyond infrastructure, Kai Tak’s residential layout also raises questions about community identity.
According to the Kai Tak Outline Zoning Plan approved in 2007 and subsequent revisions, the development is planned to provide about 50,000 residential units, with a public-to-private housing ratio of 40:60. The resident population is projected to grow from 50,000 in 2016 to 134,000 by 2036.
In several parts of the district, private residential developments stand next to public housing. That mix is not unusual in Hong Kong, where land constraints often lead to mixed housing patterns. But in Kai Tak, it has become a point of contention.
I paid a lot to buy here,” said a private housing owner who declined to be named. “Buyers expect a certain environment. But then the neighbourhood is still changing, and you don’t really know what it will become.”
This is normal in Hong Kong,” said Eric Wong, a public housing resident taking a more pragmatic view. “There isn’t enough land to separate everything. Different types of housing will always be close together.”
For now, the community remains a work in progress — a mix of public and private, still finding its place. Whether these different groups can build a shared sense of belonging remains an open question.
Harbour view: a premium, but not a promise
For many buyers, one of Kai Tak’s key selling points is its harbour view. Waterfront units are often marketed as offering open, unobstructed scenery — a rare feature in a dense city.
The price tag reflects that rarity. Across Kai Tak, about 50,000 residential units are planned or under construction. As of early 2026, at “Kai Tak Bay,” the average transaction price has reached around HK$24,000 per square foot, with some waterfront units selling for over HK$32,000 per square foot. That is roughly 30 per cent higher than similar-aged developments in neighbouring To Kwa Wan. Even public housing in Kai Tak commands a premium — among the highest in the city for its category.
But in a district still under construction, even these selling points are uncertain.
Several plots along the harbourfront remain undeveloped or are in the process of tendering. According to property manager David Chan, future construction — including potential hotel or commercial projects — could significantly alter the landscape. “The land in front won’t stay empty,” Chan said. “Buyers usually know that, but they may not expect how much the view can change.”
Government plans suggest improvements ahead, but the proposed smart transport system is still years away. The new MTR connections and community facilities that residents were promised remain, for many, a future tense.
A stadium ready, a neighbourhood still waiting
For all its ambitions, Kai Tak today is a district of unfinished equations.
Transport was meant to be seamless, but residents along the runway still face a last-mile problem — one the government says will not be fully solved until 2031. The community was meant to be vibrant, but the mix of public and private housing has left some buyers questioning what kind of neighbourhood they actually moved into. The harbour view was sold as a permanent premium, but the land in front remains empty — and what eventually rises there could change everything.
None of this means Kai Tak has failed. Large-scale developments take time. But the timeline for residents — who pay premiums, wait for buses, and watch empty plots — does not always align with the timeline for planners.
Noa, the Fiji rugby fan, will fly home after three days with memories of a roaring stadium. But Kai Tak is not a three-day destination for the people who live here. For them, the question is simpler and harder: when will the neighbourhood arrive?