Opening Weekend Overwhelmed by Visitor Turnout
The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) faced considerable crowd management challenges during the opening weekend of its highly anticipated exhibition, 'Ancient Egypt Unveiled: Treasures from Egyptian Museums'. The exhibition, which commenced on Thursday, November 20, 2025, saw an overwhelming influx of visitors, leading to chaotic scenes and extended waiting times.
On Saturday, November 22, 2025, and Sunday, November 23, 2025, visitors reported queues stretching up to 90 minutes, a confusing queuing system, and instances of alleged queue-jumping. Many expressed frustration and demanded refunds.
Temporary Suspension of Walk-in Ticket Sales
In response to the unprecedented crowds, the HKPM temporarily suspended on-site ticket sales for the exhibition on Sunday, November 23, 2025, starting from 11:00 AM. Sales resumed later that day at 3:30 PM. Same-day tickets had also sold out on the preceding Saturday.
The museum's director, Louis Ng Chi-wa, issued an apology for the 'unacceptable' queuing and entry arrangements, acknowledging that staff lacked sufficient experience in managing such high visitor volumes.
Museum Implements Measures and Advisories
To mitigate the issues, the HKPM has taken several steps:
- Extended the opening hours of Gallery 9, where the exhibition is housed, until 8:00 PM on Sunday and potentially other days.
- Advised prospective visitors to purchase tickets online in advance and consider visiting on weekdays or during early evening hours to avoid peak congestion.
- Offered visitors who held tickets for Saturday, November 22, free return admission within the next three months.
- Deployed additional staff to assist with crowd management.
- Announced a review of new crowd control measures, including the possibility of adding evening sessions and implementing timed entry, though there are no plans to restrict individual visiting times.
Over 16,000 people visited the exhibition in its first four days. The exhibition, which features 250 artifacts from seven major Egyptian museums, including a towering statue of Tutankhamun, is the largest and most comprehensive display of ancient Egyptian treasures ever shown in Hong Kong. It is scheduled to run until August 31, 2026.
5 Comments
BuggaBoom
Staff clearly untrained for this volume. Very disappointing visitor experience.
Loubianka
It's fantastic that so many people want to see this exhibition, showing its immense value. However, the museum clearly underestimated demand and needs better crowd control strategies from the start.
Katchuka
Thrilled to finally see these treasures in HK. Minor hiccups are expected with such demand.
Leonardo
Such a popular show, of course there are crowds. Great job by the museum reacting fast!
Raphael
The hype for the Egyptian exhibition is understandable, given its rarity and scale. But visitors shouldn't have to endure such long waits and disorganized entry for what should be a cultural highlight.