Chubby Hearts HK receives over 200k visitors in first 3 days

Chubby Hearts Hong Kong, a display of giant heart-shaped balloons for the season of love, has received over 200,000 visitors in its first three days since its launch last Wednesday (14 February), with tourists comprising over 20% of total visitors.

The Chubby Hearts Hong Kong project, conceived by British designer Anya Hindmarch and curated by the Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC), features a 12-metre diameter floating red heart displayed at the Central Queen's Statue Square Garden from 14 February until 24 February (Lantern Festival).

According to the Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC), citing CAP Strategic Research, the strategic research partner of Chubby Hearts Hong Kong, the total number of visitors to the four locations on the first day of the project was 65,524, with tourists comprising 20.7%. These locations included Statue Square Gardens in Central, Flower Market in Mong Kok, Lam Tsuen Wishing Square in Tai Po, and Belcher Bay Promenade in Kennedy Town. 

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Moreover, according to multiple media reports such as on.cc and HK01, the total number of visitors during the first three days of the event exceeded 200 thousand, with tourists accounting for more than 20% of the total.

According to HKFP, Chubby Hearts Hong Kong is funded by Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund with a subsidy of HK$7.8 million. Adrian Cheng, chairman of the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Committee, said on LinkedIn that this is the first 2024 project supported by the Mega Arts and Cultural Events fund, and another testament to Hong Kong’s identity as a dynamic and receptive hub for creative expressions and skilled talents.

“I hope this can demonstrate how creative solutions can bring unexpected joy through simple and whimsical designs, while spreading love and happiness throughout our city and making people smile,” Cheng said.

Apart from the gigantic heart installation in Central, there is also a Chubby Hearts pop-up installation on display at different locations across the city. It will be on display at Kweilin Street, Sham Shui Po today (19 February) from 2 pm to 9 pm.

During the event, which MARKETING-INTERACTIVE was present at on 14 February, over 40 residents or tourists stopped by to check out the giant art installation at Central’s Statue Square on 14 February. 

Several members of the public told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the giant heart exhibition would bring happiness to the city, especially after three years of lockdown during the pandemic. However, some locals said more efforts should be put into promoting the campaign as they haven’t seen a lot of ads surrounding it.

The display comes shortly after it was revealed that the giant, iconic yellow rubber ducks, created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, would be arriving in Taiwan after a decade. 

From 27 January 2024 to 25 February 2024, the two large yellow rubber ducks will be floating on the right and left banks of Love River Bay (愛河灣) in Kaohsiung. This coincides with the 2024 Kaohsiung Wonderland (冬日遊樂園), where the city is hosting a market bazaar and winter wonderland events combined with the return of the yellow rubber duck.

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