The grand opening of Kai Tak Sports Park, a $3.84bn multipurpose complex in Hong Kong, took place at the beginning of this month.

The ASM Global-operated venue includes a 50,000-capacity main stadium with a retractable roof and a 10,000-capacity indoor arena.

“With the completion and opening of Kai Tak Sports Park, Hong Kong is better positioned to actively attract large-scale international events, drawing more visitors and investments, injecting new vitality into the development of sports and performing arts culture industries,” says John Sharkey, CEO of Kai Tak Sports Park.

“We will make full use of the park’s international standard advanced sports facilities to assist the Hong Kong Government in realising the vision of an international sports platform, developing the sports industry’s home court economy, and welcoming entertainment events to shine on the international stage at Kai Tak!”

AEG, meanwhile, opened its flagship Nashville venue, The Pinnacle, at the end of last month with a sold-out show headlined by Kacey Musgraves.

“Hong Kong is better positioned to actively attract large-scale international events”

Located in the heart of the Nashville Yards development, the 4,500-capacity venue is a partnership between entertainment giant AEG and developer Southwest Value Partners.

The opening week included concerts by ILLENIUM, Killswitch Engage, Fit for a King, DEADMAU5 and The Turnpike Troubadours. Acts including Journey T-PAIN and Jason Isbell are lined up for later this month.

Elsewhere in North America, Live Nation Canada and Canadian rapper Drake have announced plans to open a second History music venue.

Following the launch of History Toronto in 2021, the partners intend to open a 2,000-capacity, two-story live music venue in Ottawa in early 2026.

The venue is being built in collaboration with the National Capital Commission (NCC), which announced the purchase of the former Chapters building on the corner of Rideau Street and George Street in January 2024.

“I have been promoting shows in Dundee for over 30 years and see a gap in the market for a venue of this size”

Meanwhile, in Dundee, Scotland, one of the city’s most experienced promoters is helping to transform a former cinema and bingo hall into one of the country’s largest new venues, with a proposed final capacity of about 3,500.

Due to open mid-year, LiveHouse will be located in the heart of the city centre and will provide touring acts with a welcome destination between Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.

Company director, and former owner of the city’s legendary Fat Sams venue, Angus Robb says, “I have been promoting shows in Dundee for over 30 years and see a gap in the market for a venue of this size. I am still an avid gig goer myself and the cost and inconvenience of travelling to shows in Glasgow or Edinburgh is off-putting for many. Whilst people will travel from Aberdeen or Dundee to events in the Central belt, Dundee has a great musical history and it’s our intention to add LiveHouse to the long list of great gig venues seen in Dundee over the years.”

Venue owner and operator TDI (Dundee Arena) Limited has a track record of delivering multi-million-pound ventures, and a spokesperson for the developer comments, “It’s great to start work on another iconic property in Dundee, the quirky exterior of the building has been a feature on the High Street for generations and we can’t wait to breathe new life into it.”

Speaking of the type of events and acts that visitors can expect, Robb adds, “The space is very flexible and can be adapted on an event-by-event basis, meaning we will attract a broad scope of events from live international bands to large corporate events or awards dinners. We’re also seeing a resurgence in the dance music scene across Scotland, fuelled by the meteoric rise of local DJ Hannah Laing, and the venue will be ideal for these types of events too.”

The iconic Margate Winter Gardens is on the path to reopening after being shuttered for three years

In southeast England, the iconic Margate Winter Gardens is on the path to reopening after being shuttered for three years.

Originally opened in 1911, the 3,000-capacity venue has hosted acts such as The Beatles, Bastille, The Libertines, McFly, Blur, The Specials, Razorlight, Jimmy Carr and Michael McIntyre.

Now, the local council has announced Westwood One Theatre as its proposed preferred partner for the refurbishment and reopening.

Under Westwood One Theatre’s vision, the venue would primarily operate as a theatre and live music venue, with the scope to accommodate conferences, corporate events and weddings.

Plans for the future of the Winter Gardens also include increasing the venue’s capacity and transforming it into a year-round location that offers services and events 365 days a year, the council added.

See more arenas and large-scale venues due to come online in 2025 here.

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LN-Gaiety Holdings (LNG) has taken a majority stake in Sands Heritage, owner of the UK theme park and open-air concert venue Dreamland Margate.

The Kent complex was this year granted permission to double the number of gigs it can present annually to 40, while its capacity has expanded from 5,000 to 7,000.

Among the artists that performed at the seaside-based venue in 2023 are Placebo, Kool & the Gang, Tom Jones, Olly Murs, Will Young, Bastille and Chase and Status.

LNG, the UK promotion joint venture by Live Nation and Denis Desmond’s Gaiety Investments, confirmed the acquisition of Dreamland Margate on Saturday 16 December.

“Working with CEO Eddie Kemsley, the team will enhance its offer at this much-loved resort,” reads a statement from LN-Gaiety.

“Dreamland is the ultimate seaside destination for music, rides, and entertainment with great artists in 2024 including Status Quo, Madness, Richard Ashcroft, Becky Hill, Limp Bizkit, Craig David and many more.”

“The acquisition ensures the legendary venue can carry on providing world-class entertainment for people of all ages”

A Dreamland spokesperson added: “We are delighted that LN-Gaiety has become the new owner of Dreamland in Margate. The acquisition ensures the legendary venue can carry on providing world-class entertainment for people of all ages.

“It is very much business as usual for Dreamland, we look forward to re-opening our historic amusement park at Easter for another summer season, as well as welcoming some of the very best live bands and acts both in our indoor spaces and next summer on the amazing Scenic Stage.”

Dreamland, which dates from 1880, was once one of Britain’s best-loved amusement parks, but closed in 2003 after a long period of decline as seaside holidays fell out of favour. It was compulsorily purchased by Thanet District Council in 2013 and reopened two years later. Sands Heritage bought the attraction from Thanet District Council in 2020.

While live music has been part of its heritage for over half a century, the venue enhanced its reputation when it welcomed Gorillaz’ Goldenvoice-promoted Demon Dayz Festival in June 2017, which was considered a breakthrough moment in its modern incarnation.

“It’s like a ready-built festival site: we’ve got rides, we’ve got street food, we’ve got bars, we’ve got a 1,500-capacity indoor club venue, which we use for afterparties,” CEO Eddie Kemsley told IQ in February. “Acts love playing here, they love the seaside vibe.”

Other performers over the years include Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, James and Busted.

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Indie promoter Bird on the Wire has announced a new one-day festival, Leisure, in the seaside town of Margate, UK.

The boutique event will see acts including Mitski, Soccer Mommy, Nilufer Yanya and Sorry perform in the town’s vintage amusement park, Dreamland, on 24 June.

The venue has previously hosted festivals including Dreamland Block Party, Sunset Sessions, Dreamland By the Sea festival and Gorillaz’ Goldenvoice-promoted Demon Dayz Festival.

According to Bird on the Wire, Leisure will be “a day of music and rides on the British seaside and a unique opportunity for artists to play a significant yet bespoke festival”.

The ethos of the festival is to “create an inclusive, inspiring and laid-back atmosphere, with artists split between two stages for a streamlined experience”.

The ethos of the festival is to “create an inclusive, inspiring and laid-back atmosphere”

L’Rain and High School have also been announced on the line-up, with Bird on the Wire promising that more names will be announced soon.

This isn’t the first time Bird On The Wire has put on an event at Dreamland. In 2019, they hosted a 10-year anniversary event at the Margate venue with Mac DeMarco headlining.

“We’re thrilled to finally return to Dreamland after such a brilliant day there in 2019,” the promoter said in a statement. “It’s a line-up that we feel passionately about and we couldn’t have hoped for a better headliner than Mitski for this first edition!”

Bird on the Wire also organises Visions, a one-day new music festival in east London, and books a stage at End of the Road festival.

The promoter’s current artist roster includes The War On Drugs, Mac DeMarco, Moses Sumney, Nils Frahm, Angel Olsen, Weyes Blood, Squid, Black Country, New Road, black midi and Loraine James.

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Fatboy Slim and Madness will headline Hi Tide, a new festival taking place at restored amusement park and live event space Dreamland Margate, as part of the venue’s 100th birthday celebrations.

DJ Fatboy Slim, real name Norman Cook, will perform alongside special guests on Saturday 4 July, with ska band Madness heading up the bill the following day.

The launch of the event saw Cook and Madness frontman Graham McPherson, or “Suggs”, give away 100 free weekend tickets from an ice-cream van on the seafront of the town of Margate, in south-east England.

The festival is one of the headline events marking Dreamland Margate’s 100th anniversary this year. Organised by Fifty Six Group, the creators of Gorillaz’ Demon Dayz festival which took place at Dreamland in 2017, Hi Tide is the biggest music event that the 15,000-capacity vintage amusement park has hosted since it reopened in 2015.

“This is a going to be phenomenal event for Dreamland, and for the people of Kent,” comments Dreamland CEO Eddie Kemsley.

“We are thrilled to present not one but two incredible headline artists over one epic weekend at our beautiful park in our centenary year”

“We are thrilled to present not one but two incredible headline artists over one epic weekend at our beautiful park in our centenary year. We can’t think of a better birthday party,” continues Kelmsley, adding that the team is “really pleased” to work with Fifty Six Group again.

“After Demon Dayz we really saw there was a need to bring a major festival to Margate and for the local Kent community,” says Fifty Six Group CEO Mags Revell. “Hi Tide will become a yearly event that we hope will be taken into the hearts of the local community and in turn they will help us create its personality as it grows.”

Dreamland was last year singled out in a UK Government report as the most notable contributor to the success of the regeneration of the seaside town of Margate.

Upcoming events at the venue include performances by Julian Cope, Mike Skinner, Faithless, Annie Mac, Andy C and De La Soul.

Tickets for Hi Tide go on sale at here at 9 a.m. (GMT) on Friday 31 January. Day tickets are priced at £72.50, with a weekend pass costing £130.

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A new government report has praised theme park and outdoor live music space Dreamland Margate for its role in the successful regeneration of the seaside town.

The House of Lords Select Committee on Regenerating Seaside Towns visited Dreamland for its report entitled ‘The future of seaside towns’, published yesterday (Thursday 4 April).

The report held up Margate as a positive example of coastal regeneration, with Dreamland singled out as one of the most notable contributors to this success.

Referring to both Dreamland and art gallery Turner Contemporary, the report stated: “The emerging arts and cultural scene is having a significant impact on sustaining these two assets in the town and will continue to drive (new) audiences. This follows a long-term strategy for creative and cultural-led regeneration in Margate.”

First opening in 1880, Dreamland was a staple attraction of British seaside town Margate for over a century until the decline in favour of seaside holidays led to the amusement park’s closure in 2003.

Thanet District Council purchased Dreamland in 2013 and brought it back to life in 2015, restoring fair ground rides and landscaping the site to allow for art installations, food stalls, bars and an “eclectic programme of live events”.

Live events take place in Dreamland’s Hall by the Sea (1,000-cap.), which has seen the likes of the Who, the Rolling Stones, Groove Armada and Maribou State.

“Margate remains a benchmark for other seaside towns in terms of what collaborative, arts and leisure-led regeneration can achieve”

The site also has an outdoor Scenic Stage, which has been the setting for the Dreamland Block Party, headlined by Big Narstie, Sunset Sessions featuring Jess Glynne, Dreamland By the Sea festival (Everything Everything, Metronomy, the Libertines) and Gorillaz’ Goldenvoice-promoted Demon Dayz Festival.

Dreamland’s new season begins on Saturday 6 April, with free entry to the site over Easter. The site will play host to Annie Mac, Happy Mondays, Rudimental, Mac Demarco and Rob Da Bank’s Camp Bestival Easter Party.

Dreamland chief executive Eddie Kelmsley welcomes the praise, saying: “Margate remains a benchmark for other seaside towns in terms of what collaborative, arts and leisure-led regeneration can achieve, and we are extremely proud to be part of the story.”

However, Kelmsley stresses that there is still work to be done. “Seaside towns cannot focus only on the summer peaks – there must be a year-round offer,” she says. “This is the goal for Dreamland, as we work towards a full 12-month offer with numerous events planned throughout the year plus our award-winning Halloween event, Screamland, and a brand new Christmas event planned for 2019.”

The Dreamland chief also outlines the importance of including all the local community. “In Margate, it is important that we regenerate not gentrify,” explains Kelmsley. “We must also include tertiary education in conversations and initiatives, so the next generation feel invested in their town’s future – and feel they have a place in it.”

Annual Dreamland Membership starts from £50 and includes unlimited rides and use of the Roller Room, exclusive food and drink discounts and special offers on ticketed events.

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Independent punk and ska event Undercover Festival – it of pissing-off-the-NRA fame – is to relocate to Dreamland Margate for 2017, bringing the theme park’s slate of confirmed music festivals to four this year.

Undercover joins Margate Wonderland, a spin-off of east London hipster festival Hackney Wonderland; Hipsville Seaside-a-Go! Go!, which presents the “wildest rock’n’roll and soul sounds of the 1960s and beyond”; and Gorillaz’ Goldenvoice-promoted Demon Dayz Festival on Dreamland’s 2017 festival calendar, as the Victorian seaside resort bids to recapture former glories by positioning itself as major touring and festival destination for the east of England.

By the Sea, which took place at Dreamland in 2015 and 2016, has not yet announced any dates for 2017, although the festival is promoting a solo show by Slaves in July.

Dreamland, which dates from 1880, was once one of Britain’s best-loved amusement parks, but closed in 2003 after a long period of decline as seaside holidays fell out of favour. It was compulsorily purchased by Thanet District Council in 2013 and reopened two years later, bringing together “lovingly restored vintage rides set against a backdrop of art installations, adventurous street food, unique bars and an eclectic programme of live events”.

“We believe we’ve captured something truly special with this newly imagined incarnation of Dreamland”

Housing its live events offering are the original Hall by the Sea – a 2,000-capacity venue that played host to mod greats including The Who and The Rolling Stones – and a new 15,000-cap. venue, which will debut with Demon Dayz on 10 June and which Dreamland says “sees us put Margate back on the music venue map”.

Jennie Double, Dreamland Margate’s commercial director, says she “cannot wait to unveil the new park to locals and visitors alike. By combining contemporary food and culture with authentic vintage rides and the uniquely British heritage that only we can offer, we believe we’ve captured something truly special with this newly imagined incarnation of Dreamland.”

Undercover Festival 2017, which runs from 8 to 9 September, will feature performances by Tom Robinson, Geno Washington, Doctor and the Medics, Jilted John, UK, Ruts DC and Angelic Upstarts. Its promoter, Undercover Promotions’ Mick Moriarty, says the new venue will provide “an experience that defies all other conventions and festival templates. Not only do we have a cracking alternative line-up, but festivalgoers can experience many retro rides and amusements. Plus, it is once again held undercover –  ie not outdoors – so if it’s peeing down come September it’s not a problem and your beer won’t get diluted.”

Speaking about Demon Dayz, Mags Revell, vice-president of live music at Goldenvoice/AEG Presents, told Music Week in March: “We have been planning the all-new Demon Dayz Festival, which sold out in 10 minutes, for some time, and Dreamland Margate is the ultimate venue for Gorillaz to make their long awaited return to the stage.  The location and the backdrop of the amusement park will be the perfect playground for the full festival line-up.”

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