Backlash brews for Hong Kong coffee festival over response to bad weather

Mud and rainy weather caused chaos and frustration at a high-profile open-air coffee festival in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District over the Easter weekend, with the arts hub’s managing authority urging the organiser to take timely and appropriate measures to respond to vendors. The weather put a dampener on the four-day 2026 Coffee Hong Kong @WestK, which was held at the Great Lawn of the district’s Art Park. Some festival visitors were seen wearing shoe covers as they walked over the muddy lawn. Coffee Hong Kong, the event organiser, earlier said it had deployed water suction machines to help ease the situation. The owner of Return Coffee, who only gave her last name as Cheng, said her stall was flooded because it was located in a low-lying area, adding that the water reached her ankles. She said the business could face losses close to HK$20,000 (US$2,550), as some of her coffee beans had become damp. “Services [by the organiser] were actually very good last year. This year, the organiser was a bit unprepared … they could’ve done better,” Cheng said. “We need to inspect the beans and can only repackage them for selling if they are undamaged.” Cheng added that while the organiser had reminded them to bring rain gear, none of its staff had checked in, and instead had just placed wooden and plastic boards on the muddy ground so visitors could walk around. She heard from fellow exhibitors that the organiser placed sand in certain parts of the lawn that had turned into a “swamp”. Some told her that the organiser had not replied when they asked for equipment to minimise the rain’s impact. She explained that her booth specialised in chilled coffee, such as cold drip, which meant drinks were prepared ahead of time and did not require electricity for coffee machines and kettles, only a small fridge. Cheng was told that some stalls had experienced power cuts several times throughout the day, preventing vendors from serving hot coffee or keeping their ice cream machines running, even when there was no rain. Comparing sales between the event in 2025 and this year, she said business was down by 60 per cent. But she considered the up to HK$20,000 worth of damage she faced to be minimal, as she had not placed her goods directly on the lawn, unlike some other vendors. Cheng said she heard from other vendors that the organiser had warned that they could lose their deposits if they packed up before the event ended. She added that she was not told the same thing, as she had no intention of leaving early. Ben Wong*, another vendor, said he had lost coffee beans worth more than HK$90,000 because they had become damp despite his efforts to store them on a raised platform. Wong said it was his first experience of the festival and he would not return next year as he felt that the threat of losing his deposit to clear soaked cardboard placed on the ground to minimise flooding was unfair. “It was the only way to get rid of water in your stall. And it’s partly the organiser’s responsibility [to ensure stalls were not flooded],” he said. Participants also took to social media to vent their dissatisfaction with the festival. A Threads user with the handle charles_ho_yin complained about the lack of a contingency plan and that areas became inundated with mud even when the rain stopped. “The zone for Japanese exhibitors was particularly bad. It was the most slippery and damp, and with the most mud. As a Hongkonger, I just hope the event will not damage the city’s image too much,” he said. A spokeswoman for the cultural district’s managing authority said it had urged the organiser to take “timely and appropriate measures” in response to the weather, prioritising the safety and well-being of visitors and stall owners. “As with all venue-hiring events, organisers are expected to put in place robust contingency planning and operational arrangements,” she said, adding that it was the second year the organiser had hired the cultural district as the festival venue. She said that the authority would work with the organiser to identify areas for improvement, and help ensure a better and safer visitor experience for similar events held there in future. Persistent heavy rain presented substantial challenges, she noted, with the authority providing additional manpower and remedial measures such as protective boards and help with surface water management on the lawn. The South China Morning Post has reached out to Coffee Hong Kong for comment. *Name changed at interviewee’s request.

Backlash brews for Hong Kong coffee festival over response to bad weather

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Muddy grounds and rainy weather cause chaos and frustration at 2026 Coffee Hong Kong @WestK over Easter weekend

Muddy grounds and rainy weather cause chaos and frustration at 2026 Coffee Hong Kong @WestK over Easter weekend