Jubilant and excited crowds arrived at Kai Tak Sports Park ahead of the opening ceremony on Saturday night, but some were left confused by the rules of admission.

The 90-minute ceremony will begin at 6:30pm, featuring celebrities including Donnie Yen, Gin Lee, MC Cheung, Joey Yung, as well as SAR athletes Vivian Kong and Jordan Tang.

One spectator, Edward, arrived two hours in advance. He said he couldn’t wait to see the stars and check out their performances.

"Of course Joey, MC - those are the perfect performances that I want to look at. Also I know some of the sports stars will be joining. I'm looking forward to it," he said.

Another man, surnamed Wong, said his daughter helped him buy a ticket. The 67-year-old said he has never been to a big stadium before and called this an "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

The ceremony will welcome 33,600 spectators, including 8,500 lucky ones who managed to purchase tickets online.

But to get in, they had to show up with electronic vouchers and identity documents to redeem a physical ticket by 3pm.

Bosco and his girlfriend arrived half an hour before the deadline. He said the arrangement was a bit of a hassle but described the redemption process as smooth.

"I think it'll be better if the seats are arranged when I buy the tickets ... It's a bit troublesome to come here a few times," he said.

"For us it's quite smooth because ... not many people are here. The process takes about five minutes."

But a number of others showed up after 3pm, including Alsen, who travelled from Shenzhen.

He said he was thankful to get the ticket, but felt that signage directing spectators could be improved.

"There are many instructions that I can't identify. There's information but it still feels a bit hard for me to find the right place. I asked some police and others," he said.

Spectators were allowed to enter the main stadium from 4:30pm, after passing security checks.

Some of them were unaware of the list of items prohibited inside the venue. These include long umbrellas, plastic, glass or metal food containers, water bottles and so on.

"It's kind of odd. Maybe it's for safety reasons, but kids need their own water bottles. It means we need to spend money inside," said Mavis, who attended the gala with her two daughters and husband.

The ceremony will not be broadcast live, but four local TV channels, including RTHK, will carry the show at 9.30pm.