The city’s new 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium hosted its first Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament at the weekend and, despite some teething issues, fans marvelled at the event, describing the atmosphere as “magical”. The three-day Sevens, which ended on Sunday, was the first real-world stress test for the stadium as the centrepiece of the HK$30 billion (US$3.8 billion) Kai Tak Sports Park, which was heralded as a “game-changer” for the city’s efforts to reposition itself as a mega-events hub when it opened on March 1. Visitors from around the world had descended on the stadium since Friday, with long-time Sevens attendees and newcomers alike praising its modern facilities and cleanliness. The annual competition moved to its new home in Kowloon after decades at Hong Kong Stadium in Causeway Bay. Official figures showed a final-day attendance of 38,352, taking the total to more than 110,000 for the weekend. Spectators consumed 82,000 litres of beer as well as more than 350,000 food and drink items. Lipe Kaloni, a 37-year-old from Tonga, was making her first visit to the Sevens with a group of friends from Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. She said her friends had always raved about the event, but she did not quite believe the hype until now. “I get it now,” she said. “It’s one of those moments where you have to pinch yourself. Like, we’re really here. Every day we’ve made friends from all over the world.” The South Stand, famous for its costumed fans and rowdy atmosphere at the old venue, made a triumphant debut in the new stadium and was filled to its 6,250-seat capacity on Saturday. Jamie McWilliam, a 55-year-old long-term Hong Kong resident of Irish origin, has been attending the Sevens since 1994. He said he loved the new stadium, as he cheered on Ireland dressed in a full green suit and fake afro wig. He also said the air conditioning would prove crucial when temperatures climbed higher, while the structure of the stadium could also shield people from the rain. But the stadium had “a couple of teething problems”, McWilliam said. “The pace to get a drink could be better,” he said. Food and drink arrangements proved to be the stadium’s Achilles' heel. This year, the organisers opted to eschew the private catering operators they had relied on at previous Sevens. Spectators routinely faced huge queues to get food or drinks, with waiting times as long as 90 minutes in some sections of the stadium. Many food items also sold out intermittently over the course of the weekend. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui was among those who experienced the queues, complaining on Saturday night of a long wait to buy a hamburger. Lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun said there was room for improvement over the men’s washrooms, manpower at food counters and waste management. “I went to several men’s washrooms. There were too few toilet bowls, a lack of hanging hooks and a wet floor,” he said. Transport arrangements were also a point of contention for some. Spectators using Uber or taking taxis to the stadium sometimes found that drivers were not familiar with the drop-off area, while fans leaving after matches waited up to 45 minutes for transport. Jeff Watkins, a 63-year-old Australian who was visiting Hong Kong for the Sevens for the first time, was among those who faced issues getting to the stadium. He said the Uber driver had no area to drop him and his friends off, forcing them to get out of the vehicle further away from the stadium. Nonetheless, he said the hiccup was not enough to detract from the “fantastic” time he was having and he hoped to return again in the future. “I’m going to go home and tell all my friends they have to come to Hong Kong. My rugby mates would love it.” Curtis Hegge, a 47-year-old Canadian who was visiting from Guangzhou, was among those who had attended previous Sevens and brushed aside some of the issues people had confronted. Hegge, who was attending his third Sevens and was accompanied by members of the rugby team he coaches, said the new stadium was “brilliant” and the atmosphere inside was “magical”. He said he was particularly impressed by the seating, which offered good views across the stadium, as well as the way the infrastructure had been set up to traffic the tens of thousands of fans in and out of the venue smoothly. “I see zero negatives to this,” he said. “If the worst thing is you have to wait 20 minutes for a burger, well, that is a first-world problem.”