--- description: Find out why Kai Tak Sports Park is on TIME’s list of the World’s Greatest Places 2026. title: Kai Tak Sports Park: World's Greatest Places 2026 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte20a8c07c2b99c8c/69ae7484e2697a5d15472015/KaiTakSportsPark_WGP_2026.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Mar 12, 2026 # Kai Tak Sports Park Hong Kong by [Kate Springer](/author/kate-springer/) ## Kate Springer Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  VCG/Getty Images Hong Kong has officially joined the big leagues with the debut of [Kai Tak Sports Park](https://www.kaitaksportspark.com.hk/ "undefined"), a sprawling new district that has transformed the Kowloon Bay waterfront. The $3.9 billion development, unveiled last March, occupies the former northern tarmac of Kai Tak Airport, breathing life back into a shoreline left quiet since the airport closed in 1998\. At its heart is the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium, a shimmering orb wrapped in nearly 27,000 iridescent aluminum panels that shift from metallic blues to sunset pinks as the light changes. The venue has already hosted landmark events: a record-setting Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament, which drew more than 110,000 spectators over three days last April; a four-night Coldplay run that attracted more than 200,000 fans; and July’s Hong Kong Football Festival, when the stadium welcomed its 1 millionth visitor. With a fully soundproof and retractable roof, adaptable pitch, in-seat cooling, and sweeping harbor views from the lively South Terrace, the stadium is a technological standout. Beyond that, the 69-acre park features a 10,000-seat arena, youth sports ground, tennis and beach volleyball courts, a track, a playground, an outdoor theater, large-scale public art displays, and pop-up food markets. A packed events calendar and 700,000 sq. ft. of retail space—adding cafés, a 40-lane bowling alley, and a climbing wall—round out the district. The momentum continues with [GO PARK Sai Sha](https://www.goparksaisha.hk/en/ "undefined"), a 1.3 million-sq.-ft. mixed-use community hub near Sai Kung designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. With golf, tennis, roller skating, pickleball, and concerts, it further cements Hong Kong’s rise as a sports and entertainment powerhouse. Kai Tak Sports Park: World’s Greatest Places 2026 ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/kai-tak-sports-park/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/kai-tak-sports-park/"},"headline":"Kai Tak Sports Park","datePublished":"2026-03-12T10:56:45.356Z","dateModified":"2026-03-12T10:56:45.487Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/kai-tak-sports-park/","keywords":["World's Greatest Places","Hong Kong","list","franchise"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte20a8c07c2b99c8c/69ae7484e2697a5d15472015/KaiTakSportsPark_WGP_2026.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kate Springer","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/kate-springer/"}],"creator":"Kate Springer","articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte20a8c07c2b99c8c/69ae7484e2697a5d15472015/KaiTakSportsPark_WGP_2026.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/worlds-greatest-places/","name":"World's Greatest Places"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/kai-tak-sports-park/","name":"Kai Tak Sports Park"}}]}] ```