The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority said on Monday it would be entering an "operational maturity" phase in 2027/28 when a number of major projects are set to be completed.

Briefing lawmakers on the latest progress of the district’s development at a Legco panel meeting, board chairman Bernard Chan said operating revenue of HK$768 million recorded in 2025/26 was the highest since the authority was set up and represented a year-on-year growth of nearly 20 percent.

Legco documents revealed that merchandise related to the "Ancient Egypt Unveiled: Treasures from Egyptian Museums" exhibition that ran from mid-November to August at the Hong Kong Palace Museum generated more than HK$33 million in revenue.

While the authority’s deficit widened to HK$998 million from HK$769 million for the 2025/26 financial year, Chan said it was normal for the cultural district to be in the red.

“We developed cultural and arts facilities first. Commercial facilities only accounted for 3 percent of our total buildable floor area to date," he said.

"As it is impossible to recover all costs, the opening of cultural facilities will definitely lead to the continuous increase in operating expenses.”

But Chan said the arts hub had been gradually developing the capability to generate income, pointing out that both ticketing income and corporate sponsorships revenue, in particular, had surged by 30 percent year on year.

He noted that development will enter a new phase in 2027/28.

“The cultural district’s operations will undergo major changes in 2027/28. The WestK Performing Arts Centre, Artist Square Towers and the extension of the West Kowloon harbourfront promenade will gradually be completed to bring greater benefit to the public," he said.

"Our challenge is no longer cash flows but rather how to grasp the strong growth of the cultural district’s core business – without any government funding – to leverage the advantages of our hardware and software to generate revenue and create a sustainable cultural district for the people of Hong Kong.”


Edited by Edmond Fong