15 minutes of fame in Hong Kong

While YouTube and Auto-Tune have helped some people get famous, in Hong Kong we still love a good ol' offline open mic night for sharing our talent with the masses.

Think you've got talent? Check out these venues in Hong Kong for getting your artistic skills seen and your music, jokes and poetry heard.

Comedians

Yearning for someone other than your mom or little brother to laugh at your jokes? Check out Open Mic Nights at TakeOut Comedy, Asia’s first full-time comedy club.

You’ll get a five-minute time slot on stage to pull off your best lines and test out that Donald Tsang joke you’ve been dying to tell for ages.

Anglophiles can attend English Open Mic Nights every Tuesday at 8 p.m., while those who jest better in Cantonese can have their go at 8 p.m. on Mondays.

Anyone is welcome to perform for free, but if you’re bringing your mom, little brother or friends to fill up the audience, it’s HK$50 for those attending just for the laughs.

 

Musicians

Whether you’re a singer, drummer, acoustic guitarist or accordionist, there are some stages across Hong Kong open to performers who can belt out a tune or jam with other like-minded amateur musicians.

You can head to Sense 99, where an informal jam session takes place on the top floor every Friday and Saturday evening from 9 p.m. onwards.

Musical instruments -- ranging from the standard acoustic and electric guitar, drum kit and bass guitar to a range of hand drums and tambourines for the rhythmically inclined -- are available for anyone to use.

Or try Jam Night at The Wanch, hosted by local musician Bambie Capito most Mondays at 8 p.m., or Casual Music Jamming at the Culture Club on most Friday or Saturday nights.

All events are free for both performers and spectators.

Poets

If you think you could give Walt Whitman a run for his money, take your screed to Poetry Night at Joyce is Not Here, a cosy bar for artists and creative minds.

Every Wednesday, both amateur and published poets gather to share their work in a relaxed and open environment.

If you’re feeling nervous about reading your own piece, or are less adept at putting pen to paper, you’re most welcome to bring a poem written by someone else.

It’s free to attend, for both poets and listeners.

Everything Else

Even if you’re an amateur magician, Michael Jackson impersonator or foot painter, Hong Kong is a city so dense that you’re bound encounter an audience of some kind at most street corners, pedestrian overpasses and subways.

Jostle for a spot between pay-per-tune singers and i-Cable salesmen on Mong Kok’s Sai Yeung Choi Street, or sign up for the Leisure and Cultural Services Department’s free Open Stage Pilot Scheme, which runs until June 30.

You’ll get two hours to perform at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, Sha Tin Town Hall or Kwai Tsing Theatre.

But you’ll have to audition in front of a committee before your session is judged fit for public consumption, possibly ruling out those with wackier talents to show off.

Know of more places to showcase your talents? Let us know where you like to go for applause.