Sip of Hong Kong milk tea gives Blackpink show a local flavour
Blackpink fans urged to pay greater attention to safety and follow entry guidelines following earlier surge to standing area
The operator of Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium has said it will implement measures to ensure the safety of concertgoers after thousands of fans of K-pop girl group Blackpink queued overnight and pushed to reach the standing area of the 50,000-seat venue.
Clips posted on social media on Saturday night show the crowd jostling to get into the stadium on the first night of the band’s three shows in the city, with people heard shouting “don’t push” and even screaming.
Another clip shows “Blinks” – the nickname for Blackpink fans – running towards the standing area next to the stage as soon as they hurried down the steps, even though security guards told them not to run and tried to maintain order.
The fans were rushing to secure prime viewing spots in the standing area, which was operating on a first come, first served basis.
During Saturday night’s concert, the group urged fans in the standing area to step back for safety. Main singer Rosé repeated the event guideline, asking them to maintain order and avoid pushing or crowding.
Some fans with standing tickets for the second concert also began queuing outside the stadium, the main venue at Kai Tak Sports Park, before the first show had even ended on Saturday night.
At Saturday’s show, Rosé took a bite of an egg waffle on camera – a tradition she has kept throughout the tour, sampling local snacks.