Over the decades the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens has become widely celebrated as the world’s biggest rugby party with live music as integral to the entertainment as the world-class rugby on the pitch. With the 2025 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens moving into Hong Kong’s ultra-modern Kai Tak Stadium from 28-30 March, the atmosphere is set to reach fever pitch.
At past Sevens, iconic acts like The Beach Boys, Madness, The Wailers and The Village People have brought the 40,000-strong crowds to their feet. This year the only change will be that 10,000 more fans can enjoy the famed live experience of the Sevens as the tournament moves into shiny new digs at Kai Tak Sports Park.
Grab your tickets and get your vocal cords warmed up, because it is going to be another weekend of the Hong Kong Sevens’ greatest hits as tournament organisers, Hong Kong China Rugby (HKCR), put the new stadium’s state-of-the-art digital enhancements to the test.
The highlight of the weekend’s live acts will see concerts from Kaiser Chiefs and a DJ set from Pete Tong.
English indie rockers Kaiser Chiefs are celebrating 20 years at the top of the charts in 2025. The band has released eight original studio albums starting with their seminal disc Employment in 2005, which sold over three million copies and won the brand three Brit Awards including the award for Best British Group, an NME award for Best Album, and was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. Their UK hit singles including 2005’s I Predict a Riot and 2007 UK number one hit Ruby, which has sold over 461,000 copies. Kaiser Chiefs will perform on Sunday afternoon at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens at 4:45PM.
The party kicks up another notch on Saturday night when DJ Pete Tong brings the house to the house that Sevens built.
Tong is widely regarded as a global ambassador for electronic music and is an accomplished producer, promoter, DJ and presenter who has helped uncover numerous acts during his illustrious career. Fans will be in for an amazing experience as Tong transforms Kai Tak into the world’s biggest disco with his Ibiza Anthems set Saturday at 6:35PM.
The action starts on Friday with the first Pool Match underway at 10:30AM, and the Opening Ceremony supported by the Hong Kong Tourism Board starting at 6:40PM. The highlight of day one’s entertainment extravaganza will be a performance from local Cantopop band, RubberBand.
Recognised as one of Hong Kong’s most renowned bands, RubberBand has received multiple awards and has released ten studio albums to date. In 2021, their concert tour Ciao received popular acclaim, leading to their first world tour of Europe, North America and Taipei. The band was also invited to perform at Primavera, one of the world’s largest music festivals, held in Barcelona the following year.
Adding to Saturday’s Sevens singalong is a live performance from GALA. The Italian artist’s set list includes a performance of her multi-platinum song ‘Freed from Desire’, which has become an anthem at live sporting events across the globe and is commonly played at FIFA and UEFA matches. Multiple football clubs including Manchester City, AC Milan and Newcastle United have adopted it, as has French Rugby, which has used the track since its original release almost 30 years ago.
Arguably the world’s best known sports song of all time, ‘Freed from Desire’ has amassed close to half a billion streams on Spotify and charted in multiple European countries, including going No.1 in France and Belgium, No.2 in the UK, Ireland and Italy. It is the most successful international release by an Italian artist in history.
With the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens offering its usual array of rocking rugby, food, drink and music across three unforgettable days – not to mention serving as the opening act at Kai Tak – an unmissable weekend is in store for rugby fans and music lovers this March. Tickets are available via the official website at www.hksevens.com.
An adult three-day ticket includes 72 matches of scintillating sevens action from 30 world-class teams, four world-class live music acts, and three non-stop days of entertainment at rugby’s biggest party, all for just HKD 1,950. Children’s tickets for fans aged 12 and under are available on a first come, first served basis at HKD 950.
Fans in selected global markets can also snap up official travel packages via co-title sponsor Cathay, which are on sale until Friday 28 February. These give the option to combine flights, event tickets and hotels and can be explore here.