‘Twas the night before New Year, when all through the street, not a creature was not drinking, as the spectre of debauchery took a back seat...temporarily
ALLEN.AUYEUNG@SCMP.CM
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 31 December, 2015, 8:52pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 31 December, 2015, 9:08pm
Partygoers let loose at Lan Kwai Fong, one of the world’s most famous party spots, as the hours count down to midnight in Hong Kong and the start of 2016. Photo: Dickson Lee
At Lan Kwai Fong, a New Year’s Eve countdown hot-spot in Central, many visitors and tourists had already arrived by the early evening to get in a festive mood before ringing in the New Year.
Over 100 police officers were on hand by 7pm to handle the swelling crowd.
Ashley Wong, 57, and his wife Lisa were pacing back and forth hunting for somewhere to grab a bite.
“We don’t normally come to Lan Kwai Fong during New Year’s Eve, but this year my wife wanted to experience the atmosphere,” said Wong, who had budgeted HK$400 for dinner and was planning a romantic - or at least nostalgic - tram ride to North Point later in the night.
Cameroonian footballer Wilfred Bamnjo, 36, who used to play for local team Kitchee, was pitching in as a security guard at the world-famous party hub made famous by partygoers’ raucous behaviour.
“After 10pm it’s definitely going to be busy. It’s still pretty quiet now,” he said.
When asked if he felt apprehensive about the inevitable onslaught of rowdy customers, Bamnjo was unfazed: “I am ready.”
Neelan Subba, a bar assistant at Rula Bula, was welcoming customers at the door.
Expecting a good turnout as the evening unfolded, Subba said business had been quiet over Christmas as many regular patrons had taken off for vacation.
“But there are many more tourists,” she said.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1896881/lan-kwai-fong-revellers-await-chaos-midnight-hong
