Cover Cocoa Zhou and musical director Alex Nude at Open by He.r on Chater Road on October 18 (Photo: courtesy of Kennevia and Donald Chantie)
Cocoa Zhou and musical director Alex Nude at Open by He.r on Chater Road on October 18 (Photo: courtesy of Kennevia and Donald Chantie)
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Cocoa Zhou’s open-air series returned to the heart of Central with Andhim, Charmeine and Casamusica, and a guest list of Hong Kong’s best-known faces
Seven months after Cocoa Zhou first took her music out of the Mott 32 vault and onto the street, Chater Road once again stopped being a corridor for commuters and became a dancefloor. On October 18, Open by He.r returned for its second edition, an open-air masquerade created with Hongkong Land and Landmark. Tatler was on site as the exclusive media partner for the VIP Paddock.
The first Open by He.r, staged in March during Art Week, was Zhou’s argument that luxury, fashion and art have always been connected, “they just haven’t always danced together”. This time, the argument came with a costume change, as one of the city’s earlier public Halloween events, attendees were dressed to impress—or terrify.
The event name is a statement of intent. Zhou and husband Alex Langslow say Open by He.r stands for “open hearts, open minds”. They want guests to feel they have opened their minds to new music and opened their hearts to meeting new people. For Langslow, the reward is simple. “We do what we do to see the smiles on everyone’s faces,” he says. “We’re ecstatic.”
The atmosphere on October 18 (Photo: courtesy of Kennevia and Donald Chantie)
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Conceived as an epic street party, the second edition invited guests of all ages to see Central from a new angle. German duo Andhim headlined with their melodic, playful “Super House” sound, the kind built for an open-air crowd to move as one. Only Simon Haehnel performed on the night, as his partner Tobias Müller was unable to join after a medical emergency. Ukrainian DJ Charmeine brought her Afro house, tech house and minimal sound, layered with disco, funk and jazz. Casamusica, shaped by musical experiences in Japan, New York and Brazil, dug through rare house, disco and deep cuts.
At the centre of it all was He.r Soundsystem, the back-to-back pairing of Zhou and music director Alex Nude on the decks. They were playing to a home crowd on a street they had already claimed once.
The guest list read like a who’s who of Hong Kong’s social and cultural scene. Among them were Veronica Chou, Danny Yeung, Arthur Law, Catherine Ku, Devin Pun, Laura Cheung, Justin Ng and Alex Jiaravanont. “Cocoa is my childhood friend, and I’m so proud of her for changing the music scene in Hong Kong,” says Chou. Jiaravanont was just as effusive: “I’m mind-blown. I’ve been in Hong Kong since I was three years old, and I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Open by He.r is the Hong Kong-born cultural platform Zhou developed from He.r, the invitation-only electronic series she founded at Mott 32 in late 2025. Its premise is that artists, partners and audiences shape the experience together, with music, fashion, art and local culture brought into landmark settings, and held to a high standard of design and hospitality. If the first edition proved the concept could work on Chater Road, the second suggests it has staying power.
As Content Director at Tatler Hong Kong, Tara shapes the brand's editorial vision across social, digital and print. She also drives the planning and execution of Tatler's flagship IPs. In her dual role as Head of VIP, she reports on Asia's most influential figures — from CEOs and leaders across business, style and the arts — curates star-studded events, and builds the relationships and communities that define the brand. Born and raised in the Middle East, she honed her craft in Dubai, crafting communication strategies for luxury brands across the Gulf. Follow her on Instagram @tarasobti.
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