The Choi Hung Estate Basketball Court: How to Visit Hong Kong's Rainbow Photo Spot (Respectfully)

The Choi Hung Estate basketball court is probably the most photographed patch of concrete in Hong Kong. It sits on the roof of a car park in a working public housing estate in Wong Tai Sin District, with pastel rainbow-striped towers rising behind it, and it costs nothing to visit. I think it is worth the detour, but it comes with two things you should know before you go: the estate is living on borrowed time, and about 17,000 people call your photo backdrop home.

What the rainbow estate actually is

Choi Hung means "rainbow" in Cantonese, a name said to be inspired by the rainbows that appear after rain. The estate went up in stages between 1962 and 1964, was opened by the governor in 1963, and was the largest public housing estate in Hong Kong at the time, built for around 43,000 people. It even took a Silver Medal at the 1965 Hong Kong Institute of Architects Annual Awards. Today its 11 blocks hold more than 7,400 flats and around 17,000 residents.

The famous view is specific: stand on the car park roof, and the basketball court's coloured surface lines up with the rainbow facades behind it. Instagram found the spot years ago, and an appearance in a music video by K-pop group Seventeen pushed it to another level of fame. On any given afternoon you will find a mix of local kids playing ball and visitors waiting for a clean frame.

How to get to the Choi Hung Estate basketball court

Take the MTR to Choi Hung station on the Kwun Tong line. The walk takes about four minutes:

• Leave by Exit C3 (C4 also works). At the top of the stairs, turn right and then take a quick left to follow the walkway between the building and the wall.
• Turn right at the end of the building and cross the street to the multi-storey car park.
• Take Staircase No. 2 up to the top floor. The court is on the roof.

Access is free and there is no gate or ticket. It is an ordinary estate car park, not a managed attraction, which is exactly why the next section matters.

The demolition clock is ticking

This is the part most photo guides skip. In December 2024 the Housing Authority announced that the whole of Choi Hung Estate will be redeveloped in three phases. The first phase is expected to begin in 2028 and takes down Tan Fung House, Pik Hoi House and Kam Pik House along with the estate market, with those residents moving to the new Mei Tung Estate. Demolition and relocation across the estate run through 2043, and the rebuilt estate is due to be finished between 2048 and 2049.

No closing date has been announced for the car park or the court itself, and as of late 2026 it is still open and free. But Tan Fung House, one of the towers you can see from the car park court, is in that first demolition phase, and the South China Morning Post was already describing the relocations as the beginning of the end for the estate's close-knit community in December 2025. If the rainbow estate is on your Hong Kong list, go on this trip rather than the next one. The court may outlast 2028, but the backdrop will not stay whole.

How to visit without being a nuisance

Choi Hung is not a film set. The towers behind the court are occupied homes, and the court itself is where local kids and serious players actually play. A few rules I would treat as non-negotiable:

• Never interrupt a game for a photo. If a match is on, shoot from the side or wait. The players live here; you are the guest.
• Do not photograph residents, into windows, or people hanging laundry. Keep the lens on the court and the facades.
• Keep it short and quiet. Get your frame, enjoy the view, and clear the space. Groups posing through a dozen outfit changes are the reason spots like this get closed off.
• Leave nothing behind and do not block the car park ramps or stairwells.

It is the same deal as the Monster Building in Quarry Bay: these places stay open to visitors exactly as long as visitors behave like polite guests in someone's estate.

Is it worth the trip out?

On its own, honestly, it is a 20 to 30 minute stop: you climb the stairs, take the photo, watch the game, and you are done. The way to make it worth the journey is to treat it as the photogenic anchor of a Kwun Tong line morning. Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden are one stop away at Diamond Hill, and Wong Tai Sin Temple is a couple of stops further down the same line. All three together make a genuinely good half day in a part of Kowloon most visitors skip.

If you like Hong Kong's photogenic-but-real corners, the estate belongs on the same shortlist as the Sai Wan Swimming Shed: free, slightly out of the way, and better in person than on Instagram, provided you go in knowing it is somebody's neighbourhood first and a photo spot second.

Quick answers

What is Choi Hung Estate famous for? Its rainbow-coloured towers and the basketball court on the car park roof, which together make one of Hong Kong's most photographed views. The estate dates from 1962 to 1964 and won a Silver Medal at the 1965 Hong Kong Institute of Architects Annual Awards.

Is Choi Hung Estate being demolished? Yes, in phases. The Housing Authority announced in December 2024 that the estate will be redeveloped in three phases, with the first demolitions expected from 2028 and the full rebuild finished between 2048 and 2049. The basketball court has no announced closing date and is still open.

How do you get to the Choi Hung Estate basketball court? MTR to Choi Hung station on the Kwun Tong line, Exit C3, then a four-minute walk: follow the walkway to the multi-storey car park, cross the street, and take Staircase No. 2 to the roof.

Is the basketball court free to visit? Yes. There is no ticket and no gate, because it is a working estate car park roof, not a managed attraction. Visit respectfully: do not interrupt games or photograph residents.