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Hong Kong to Offer Free Access to Leisure and Cultural Facilities on July 1
Public granted complimentary use of LCSD venues and museums to mark the 28th anniversary of the HKSAR establishment
In celebration of the 28th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), a broad array of fee-charging leisure and cultural facilities managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will be made available to the public free of charge on July 1.
The facilities open for complimentary use include a range of indoor and outdoor sports venues, swimming pools, craft at water sports centres, and permanent exhibitions at selected museums.
Indoor sports facilities include badminton courts, tennis courts, basketball courts, squash courts, volleyball courts, table tennis tables, American pool and billiard tables, sport climbing walls, bowling greens, golf amenities, fitness rooms, and other multipurpose activity and dance rooms.
A cycling track will also be accessible.
Access to certain amenities, such as sport climbing walls, fitness rooms, and watercraft, will require relevant qualification certifications.
Outdoor facilities available without charge encompass tennis courts, bowling greens, batting cages, archery ranges, and golf facilities.
Use of camp facilities, sports grounds, and artificial or natural turf pitches is excluded.
Public swimming pools, with the exception of the Wan Chai Swimming Pool and the Kowloon Tsai Swimming Pool (which is undergoing redevelopment), will also offer free admission on a first-come, first-served basis, with no prior booking required.
Visitors can also access watercraft—including recreational kayaks, pedal-driven boats, sampans, and colour boats—at the Chong Hing Water Sports Centre, though usage of these is restricted to registered campers.
Permanent exhibitions at the Hong Kong Science Museum and the Hong Kong Space Museum will be open to the public at no cost, though screenings at the Space Theatre are excluded.
The LCSD will allocate free facility sessions via a balloting system.
Applications must be submitted by individual users through the SmartPLAY platform between June 14 and June 20. Each applicant may select up to three balloting choices and modify them until 11:59 p.m. on the closing date.
Results will be released on June 23, with notifications issued through the SmartPLAY system.
Remaining unallocated sessions will be available for reservation via SmartPLAY on a first-come, first-served basis starting June 25.
Each successful applicant will be entitled to one free session, regardless of whether it was obtained through the ballot or direct booking.
If a successful applicant does not arrive within 10 minutes of the session’s start time, the booking may be reassigned to walk-in participants.
However, the facility must be returned to the original applicant upon their arrival.
Users are reminded to observe the Conditions of Use outlined on the LCSD website.
In addition to the aforementioned arrangements, a number of cultural institutions will continue to offer free entry.
These include the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Hong Kong Museum of History, Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, Hong Kong Railway Museum, Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence, Fireboat Alexander Grantham Exhibition Gallery, Law Uk Folk Museum, Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum, Sheung Yiu Folk Museum, Hong Kong Film Archive, Sam Tung Uk Museum, and Oil Street Art Space.
The Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum remains temporarily closed for upgrading works, while the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre will be closed on Tuesday, July 1, in accordance with its regular schedule.
The facilities open for complimentary use include a range of indoor and outdoor sports venues, swimming pools, craft at water sports centres, and permanent exhibitions at selected museums.
Indoor sports facilities include badminton courts, tennis courts, basketball courts, squash courts, volleyball courts, table tennis tables, American pool and billiard tables, sport climbing walls, bowling greens, golf amenities, fitness rooms, and other multipurpose activity and dance rooms.
A cycling track will also be accessible.
Access to certain amenities, such as sport climbing walls, fitness rooms, and watercraft, will require relevant qualification certifications.
Outdoor facilities available without charge encompass tennis courts, bowling greens, batting cages, archery ranges, and golf facilities.
Use of camp facilities, sports grounds, and artificial or natural turf pitches is excluded.
Public swimming pools, with the exception of the Wan Chai Swimming Pool and the Kowloon Tsai Swimming Pool (which is undergoing redevelopment), will also offer free admission on a first-come, first-served basis, with no prior booking required.
Visitors can also access watercraft—including recreational kayaks, pedal-driven boats, sampans, and colour boats—at the Chong Hing Water Sports Centre, though usage of these is restricted to registered campers.
Permanent exhibitions at the Hong Kong Science Museum and the Hong Kong Space Museum will be open to the public at no cost, though screenings at the Space Theatre are excluded.
The LCSD will allocate free facility sessions via a balloting system.
Applications must be submitted by individual users through the SmartPLAY platform between June 14 and June 20. Each applicant may select up to three balloting choices and modify them until 11:59 p.m. on the closing date.
Results will be released on June 23, with notifications issued through the SmartPLAY system.
Remaining unallocated sessions will be available for reservation via SmartPLAY on a first-come, first-served basis starting June 25.
Each successful applicant will be entitled to one free session, regardless of whether it was obtained through the ballot or direct booking.
If a successful applicant does not arrive within 10 minutes of the session’s start time, the booking may be reassigned to walk-in participants.
However, the facility must be returned to the original applicant upon their arrival.
Users are reminded to observe the Conditions of Use outlined on the LCSD website.
In addition to the aforementioned arrangements, a number of cultural institutions will continue to offer free entry.
These include the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Hong Kong Museum of History, Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, Hong Kong Railway Museum, Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence, Fireboat Alexander Grantham Exhibition Gallery, Law Uk Folk Museum, Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum, Sheung Yiu Folk Museum, Hong Kong Film Archive, Sam Tung Uk Museum, and Oil Street Art Space.
The Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum remains temporarily closed for upgrading works, while the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre will be closed on Tuesday, July 1, in accordance with its regular schedule.
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