Hong Kong’s biggest music festival going ahead despite protests, say organisers, as final line-up of acts confirmed

Bombay Bicycle Club, Metronomy and Nick Murphy added to Clockenflap festival line-up that already includes Halsey, Lil Pump and Mumford & Sons

Festival organisers say the cancellation of other events amid anti-government protests makes their mission to bring Hongkongers together more relevant than ever

Reading Time:5 minutes

Music lovers at the Clockenflap festival on the Hong Kong harbourfront. The annual event is going ahead this year despite anti-government protests in Hong Kong, organisers say. Photo: James Wendlinger

Published: 3:00pm, 30 Oct 2019Updated: 7:10pm, 30 Oct 2019

Hong Kong’s biggest annual music and arts festival, Clockenflap, is pressing ahead this November, despite continuing anti-government protests. On Wednesday, organisers released the final line-up for the three-day event and expressed hope it can bring some positivity to the city.

Among the additional acts announced for this year’s Clockenflap festival are UK indie band Bombay Bicycle Club (returning after a memorable performance in 2011), Australian singer-songwriter Nick Murphy (formerly known as Chet Faker), and British outfits Metronomy and These New Puritans. The festival is being held at the Central Harbourfront Event Space from November 22 to 24.

The release of the final line-up comes two months after the first wave of acts was announced, among them American singer-songwriter Halsey, controversial US rapper Lil Pump, British bands Mumford & Sons and The Kooks, Taiwanese singer-songwriter Crowd Lu, cute Japanese headbangers Babymetal and American postmetal band Deafheaven.

Halsey, The Kooks and Bombay Bicycle Club will all perform on the opening night on Friday.

Bombay Bicycle Club have joined the Friday night line-up.

Saturday’s main acts will be Lil Pump, Babymetal and Crowd Lu, while Mumford & Sons will perform on Sunday along with Deafheaven and Australian rockers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.

Around this time of the year, as Clockenflap fans await the final line-up, speculation has traditionally centred on which high-profile acts are likely to be added to the bill. But this year, as the anti-government protests sparked by the now-withdrawn extradition bill escalated, the focus instead shifted to whether the festival would take place at all, given the number of large-scale events which have toppled like dominoes.