It's comeback season for most music festivals in Asia this year, and 2023 is particularly special for Clockenflap.
This March, the Hong Kong-based music and arts festival is set to make its return for the first time in four years, after its pre-pandemic cancellation in 2019. The year's edition will rope in the likes of the Arctic Monkeys, Wu-Tang Clan, Kings of Convenience, The Cardigans, FKJ, Phoenix, and more to perform at Central Harbourfront.
The full lineup for Clockenflap is out now! Check out the lineup poster to discover all the newly announced acts set to light up Central Harbourfront on March 3-5. Ticket are selling fast, grab yours now: https://t.co/BJkvcll9LD pic.twitter.com/1r4gWBtvPA
— Clockenflap (@clockenflap) February 11, 2023
With music fans around the world anticipating the festival's grand return, Clockenflap is completely sold out for the three-day weekend taking place from 3 to 5 March 2023.
All tickets are now sold out. Thank you for your support! pic.twitter.com/qxq5KbCVPJ
— Clockenflap (@clockenflap) February 16, 2023
Weeks ahead of the festival, we speak to Clockenflap co-founder Justin Sweeting about their massive comeback, what makes Clockenflap stand out, and his advice for visiting music fans.
Hi, Justin! How have you been doing?
Doing well thank you, and happy to be back in the saddle…
Clockenflap is finally set to return this year. We're so excited to see it back. What can fans look forward to for this year's comeback?
Thanks! We’re beyond excited too, and I think that collective buzz is heightened because it is has been so long (our last one was in 2018 so we’ve been away even longer than the pandemic period). We did have the opportunity to return a little earlier, though we held out until there was a time where we could put the event on with all the trappings to ensure it would ultimately be fun. Not much point doing it otherwise.
Clockenflap is back! 3-5 Mar 23 at Central Harbourfront, as we return with our full festival experience: Local & International talent, outdoor location, multiple stages, free standing, F&B & muchos fun.Stay tuned for our first lineup ann. & ticket details https://t.co/pDxocIECiW pic.twitter.com/1OEQSyjgYm
— Clockenflap (@clockenflap) November 8, 2022
Clockenflap has been dubbed by artists themselves as one of their favourite music festivals in the world, what do you think sets Clockenflap apart from the rest of the pack?
That’s lovely to hear. For me I believe it’s all to do with the sum of the parts ‘experience’ as well as the context we’re in. There’s a kind of alchemy that happens when you take lots of people, present them with inspiring creativity and have it all take place together on an incredible site which has the backdrop of an iconic skyline on one side and the harboufront on the other. That is all then amplified when you take into account that events like ours don’t happen too often in Hong Kong. So there’s an added release and explosion of joy when it does. I honestly believe Clockenflap has one of the most positive and open minded audiences in the world because of that, and the artists for sure feed off that energy. They then give it back in their performances and the whole thing becomes this glorious feedback loop that elevates the happy feelings for everyone.
2023 has a stacked lineup so far with the likes of indie favourites Arctic Monkeys and Phoenix performing, alongside hip-hop icons Wu-Tang Clan. How did you go about curating this roster for 2023? What does it take to be on the Clockenflap lineup?
It’s always very much a wip puzzle which evolves piece by piece and throughout the process each time. There’s no simple answer in terms of what we look for – it varies depending on the slot time and stage along with various other factors including how well they will resonate with our audience. At the core, we look for artists who are authentic, kick ass live and I’m always drawn to artists who take creative risks.
It will be your first edition since 2018, how different will things be this time around in terms of health and safety adjustments especially for overseas festival attendees? Are there any guidelines they need to take note of before booking their flights to HK?
Hk is in a period of opening up so it’s an exciting time to be coming over, as the city will be very much in bloom again not only with us but then also various other events coming up soon after. In terms of what to take note of for overseas visitors – main one will be that we are very almost sold out (Editor's Note: As of publication, the festival is officially sold out.), so don’t lock in travel plans unless you already have a ticket!
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