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While the closure of big-box clubs signals a shifting tide in nightlife, the success of HE.R 鶴 suggests Hong Kong’s appetite for partying hasn’t ceased. We sat down with DJ and founder Cocoa Zhou to discuss how she’s reimagining the rules for the local music scene.
When Trilogy announced its closure in March, the public immediately began speculating what nightlife doomsdayism to attribute the news to. Hong Kong’s impossible rent costs? The rise of ‘sober partying’ culture? Society’s ubiquitous lack of disposable income? Whatever the reason, ‘nightlife is dead’ remains the broader insinuation. Perhaps, but that hasn’t stopped organiser Cocoa Zhou from showing Hong Kongers a good time.
Last month, Zhou’s inaugural party OPEN by HE.R 鶴 drew hundreds to Chater Road — on a Sunday, no less — to close out Hong Kong Art Week. DJs Tripolism, MĪMĪ x FY, Alex Nude, Ani Phoebe and Zhou herself entertained a packed crowd for seven straight hours of open-air dancing, drinking and mingling, culminating in an urban music festival environment rarely seen in Hong Kong.
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An established DJ and producer, Zhou launched the music and party concept HE.R 鶴 in May 2025 as a direct response to her own changing lifestyle. After becoming a mother in 2024, she found Hong Kong’s traditional late-night circuit — one where clubs “rarely get busy until 1:30 or 2am” — increasingly incompatible with her new reality.
After I became a mum, I realised the challenge of finding balance in life. It seemed impossible to be a good wife and mother while maintaining my career as a DJ.
Beyond irreconcilable schedules, a baby at home also kept Zhou from touring internationally, as she was accustomed to. Nevertheless, the DJ refused to compromise on her career and passion, and so began her own venture. Teaming up with fellow DJ Alex Nude, the duo pivoted to a model which allowed them to “curate the crowd, venue and music” they loved abroad, “right here in Hong Kong.”
The resulting concept transforms fine-dining institution Mott 32 into an electronic music haven on Saturday nights. By opening the doors at 11pm (as dinner service concludes) HE.R 鶴 allows guests to transition directly from mealtime to the dancefloor. This ‘dinner-to-party’ model not only caters to a crowd that values a slightly earlier start, but also bypasses the crippling constraints of Hong Kong real estate. That is, by utilising an existing space for a limited window, Zhou capitalises on the restaurant’s luxe atmosphere while avoiding the high-risk gamble (and cost) of opening a new, dedicated space.
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Zhou’s decision to host OPEN by HE.R 鶴 on Chater Road was equally intentional. “I wanted to do something interesting; to choose a venue that hasn’t been used, unlike a typical event space,” she notes. After much discussion with friends and experts, HE.R pitched Chater Road to Hongkong Land, her eventual venue partner. “Even their team couldn’t believe we ended up pulling off an event of this scale in a public space,” Zhou shares.
The logistics were, Zhou admits, a nightmare. Expanding from working with a 400-capacity restaurant venue to a street party for thousands, she recalls sleepless nights and collaborations with “millions of contractors” to build a world-class stage in the middle of Central. Perhaps most brutal, the team couldn’t begin setting up until 3am the night before as earlier would infringe on the street’s public use.
“Whatever you do, going from step zero to one is always the hardest,” she says, reflecting on the challenge of selling tickets to an event no one had ever been to. The progression was a “big jump,” but her motivation was simple: thousands fly into the city for Art Basel, and the streets are flooded with scenesters looking to mingle, network and be seen. In other words, all eyes are on Hong Kong.
I wanted to do something loud that makes a statement, while the world is watching.
An ambitious goal, but one that the DJ unmistakably reached. Standing in the heart of Central, surrounded by the city’s most iconic buildings, one could feel an energy akin to pre-pandemic crowds. This is feedback Zhou received firsthand from her friends, international visitors and even the guest DJs. “They were blown away by Hong Kong, by how stunning the venue was. A part of that is how good a job our team did, but it’s also a testament to how beautiful this city is.”
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As for what’s next, Zhou isn’t content with one-off success. Plans are already in motion to turn OPEN by HE.R 鶴 into a biannual staple of the Hong Kong social calendar, with a potential return in the fall to coincide with the cooler weather. Beyond the city’s borders, the HE.R brand 鶴 is eyeing a global expansion, looking to international hubs where the ‘dinner-to-dancing’ appetite remains underserved.
Needless to say, netizens’ ‘nightlife is dead’ narrative appears to falter in the face of new, music-centred projects — particularly when they accommodate Hong Kongers’ busy, multi-faceted schedules. If we are to learn anything from Trilogy’s closure, then, perhaps it’s that the massive, multi-storey nightclub model was simple a product of a different era.
Today, it’s simply not enough to offer great views and great music. Rather, for a venture like this to be successful, it has to meet Hong Kongers’ altered expectations and experiences. This is exactly why Zhou’s concept has found success: it perfectly toes the line between offering prestige venue’s exclusivity and a community-focused project’s inclusivity. The feat not only suggests that a new era of nightlife is here, but that Hong Kong is ready for it.
Read More: Hong Kong’s Latest Nightlife Trend? Sober-Friendly Coffee Raves
