Silvermine Bay Music Festival 2013

Love seeing Mui Wo come alive!

 If only this could be a monthly flea market.

The Silverminebay Music Festival is on!

Because of Typhoon Kai-tak, the fate of the outdoor festival hung on the balance for a while. In fact, Friday's festivities had to be suspended because of thunderstorm warnings. But things are back in swing again and the music has started.

Passing by the beach, I saw it dotted with so many more people than usual. And the entertainment starts just off the ferry pier.

It's so exciting. We're off to grab a late lunch and then chill out by the beach. Join us?

August happenings

I miss Diane Stormont and her wonderful Lantau Link (RIP, Diane). Nowadays, there's hardly any good website giving South Lantau folks some idea of what's happening in their area... which is a pity because there usually is loads going on. 

Anyway, let me do my part (and partly post this to remind myself). 

The two biggies in August - for me at least- are the Silvermine Bay Music Festival on Aug 17 to 19 and the Discovery Bay flea market on Aug 26.

The organisers of the music festival are expecting about 10,000 people to turn up.

And on August 26, the Discovery Bay flea market. Don't forget to give Jacqui a call to donate any items which you think can help raise funds for PALS. Clothes, books, home decorations, Le Creuset pots...

Nice noise

Some people complain that Mui Wo is getting noisier.

As I type this, there are sounds of Friday night revelry in the restaurants, loud conversations on the waterfront and thumping music from some of our neighbours next door. Somewhere, there is a faint clack of mahjong tiles being "washed".

But you know what, I really like it. I like that the place now seems to come alive on Friday and Saturday nights.

Last week, someone had a party on their rooftop or terrace, sending 80s music reverberating round town. Buffalo Wilbur and I danced to the music in our living room, uninvited guests to that party.

And folks round here are quite considerate so everything quietens down after 11pm anyway.

It's nice noise – the sound of people having fun in Mui Wo.

Opera buff

We like going for a walk in the villages after Sunday lunch because there's usually something happening somewhere. Today, we heard strains of a Cantonese opera being played at the Mui Wo Rural Committee Hall so decided to take a peek.

There were stacks of plastic-bagged goodie bags at the entrance, which was a good indication of the crowd inside. These goodie bags are usually given away at the end of the show to the elderly. The smiling volunteers waved us in.

In the hall, there were loads of old folk (so THAT'S what they get up to when they're not playing mahjong). The performers were consummate professionals, togged up in heavily sequinned outfits to belt out old favourites to a rapt audience – who probably had their eyes on the main prize outside later.

Mui Wo rocks

The Silvermine Bay Music Festival is on today but you wouldn't have known it from the publicity it is getting on Hong Kong island. We only knew about it because the nice man from Uncle Russ told us as we were getting our coffee to get on board the ferry yesterday.

According to the posters, the two-day festival with local and foreign bands was supposed to start at 3pm yesterday. But we went there at 4pm and this is what we saw:

Ah well, there probably was more action today but we just couldn't be bothered. Maybe next year.