MAMA Awards Proceed as Scheduled in Hongโ Kong Despite Deadly Fire
HONG KONG – The ‘MAMA Awards’ (formerly known as โthe ‘Mnet KM โMusic Festival’) will proceed as planned at โthe Kai Tak Stadium โฃin Kowloon โKai tak Sports Park on November 28th and 29th, despite a devastating fire in Hong Kong that has claimed at least 44 lives and left 45 critically injured. This marks the 17th consecutive year the awards ceremony has been โheld, aโ record unbroken โคeven by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The fire,which erupted at the 32-story ‘Wong Fook Court’ apartment complex inโ Tai Po District on November 27th โat โข2:52 pm,promptedโ widespread concernโค about the event’sโข cancellation.As of 6 a.m. local time on โคNovember 28th,authorities reported 279 people remained missing,along with the 44 confirmed fatalities,includingโฃ one firefighter.
CJ ENM, the event’s host, confirmed โthe show will go on, stating they areโข “carefully preparing the overall stage structure and progress to ensure that it is a performance that conveys comfort and hope rather than a flashy production.”
While the awards ceremony willโค be broadcast live as scheduled, organizers have canceled the red carpet event. โCelebrities Chow Yun-fat and Yang Yeo-kyung have also decided not to attend.
The ‘MAMA awards’ have been held annually asโฃ 2009, adapting to global challenges in the past. In 2020, the ceremony was held without a live โคaudience due to COVID-19 concerns. In 2021, pre-recording schedules were temporarily โขpostponed due to aโ staff member’s positive COVID-19 diagnosis, but the show continued with a limited audience under “With Corona” policies.