The Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU) today announced early details of the planned entertainment for the 2016 Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens (8-10 April). 2016 will mark the most expansive entertainment offering ever for the Sevens as the HKRU will delight the expected 120,000 visitors to the tournament with seven days of fan experiences billed as HKSEVENS Rugby Week.

Among the highlights of the week-long rugby party is the HKSEVENS Kick-off Concert on Wednesday, 6 April, at the Sevens Village directly across from the Stadium.

David Hasselhoff, international recording artist and star of the seminal television series Knight Rider and Baywatch, will host the concert. Hasselhoff, who will also appear inside the Stadium throughout Sevens weekend, will be joined by Scottish rockers The Proclaimers and renowned ABBA tribute band Björn Again.

He was a staple of the television coverage around the recent Rugby World Cup and is excited to experience what is widely hailed as the rugby world’s biggest party, the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, saying:

"We need some rugby action and a world-class party and the best place on earth for that is at the Hong Kong Sevens. I'm Hoffcrazy to be this year’s Ambassador... I may even bring my car and the Baywatch babes, although from what I understand about the Sevens, there should be several people dressed up in their red bikinis already!"

Hasselhoff shot to fame in two of television’s most famous and long-running shows, Knight Rider, in the role of Michael Knight, and Baywatch, as hunky lifeguard Mitch Buchannon. His role in Knight Rider won him the People’s Choice Award for Most Popular Actor and both series remain in syndication throughout the world.

Hasselhoff also starred as lifeguard Mitch Buchannon on Baywatch, a programme he also executive produced. At its peak, Baywatch was aired in 140 countries and watched by over one billion viewers per week, leading Hasselhoff to be named by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “Most Watched TV Star in the world”.

Hasselhoff’s legend has only grown since these iconic roles. He co-starred in the second sequel to the biggest TV movie of all time, SHARKNADO 3, and recently completed production on the second season of UK comedy series, HOFF THE RECORD, which was picked up this month by Mark Cuban’s AXS TV and will air for the first time in the United States starting in March.

Hasselhoff continues to chart new ground in social media as well. His appearance in True Survivor, the You Tube video for the Kickstarter-funded martial arts film Kung Fury, has attracted more than 21 million views. To view the video please visit:

In 2006, after his fans launched a tongue-in-cheek website, “Get Hasselhoff to Number 1”,

his single “Jump in My Car” debuted at number three on the UK charts after over 40,000 fans signed up to receive an “Hoff Alert” e-mail when it was time to purchase through Internet downloads of the single.

Hasselhoff has starred on Broadway (JEKYLL & HYDE), the West End (CHICAGO) and on the Las Vegas stage (THE PRODUCERS) and has appeared as a judge on the blockbuster TV series AMERICA’S GOT TALENT and BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT. He has spoken at both the Oxford and Cambridge Student Unions (joining past speakers such as Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, and the Dalai Lama).

The multi-talented entertainer has also established an enduring reputation as one of the world’s most popular recording artists.

Like the Sevens, his popularity transcends international boundaries. His music career took off in Europe in the late 1980s after a concert for hundreds of thousands of Germans on New Year’s 1989 at the Berlin Wall, a performance he reprised for the event’s 25th anniversary in 2014, which was featured in the National Geographic documentary Hasselhoff VS The Berlin Wall.

David Hasselhoff will be joined in the HKSEVENS Kick-off Concert by Scottish band The Proclaimers, featuring twin brothers Charlie and Craig Reid. Best known for their global hit “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”, the Proclaimers tour extensively around the world. The band’s song “Letter from America” peaked at number three in the UK Singles chart in 1987 and their album “This is the Story” went gold, followed by another smash follow-up, the “Sunshine on Leith” album, which featured the hit “I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)”. They have released ten studio and three compilation albums since their debut recording in 1983.

“We’re very excited to be heading to Hong Kong for this year’s Sevens. We’ve heard so many great things about the event and we are looking forward to performing there immensely, both at the stadium on Saturday lunchtime and at the official kick-off concert,” said the Reid brothers.

Started in Australia in 1988, ABBA tribute band Björn Again has toured around the world to international acclaim and has performed at large rock festivals like Glastonbury and Reading and at the Royal Albert Hall.

The entertainment on offer at the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens has expanded in recent years with performances from international music artists becoming a feature of each year’s in-stadium entertainment. Previous Sevens have seen the Beach Boys, Queen Extravaganza and the Village People entertain the capacity audiences over the weekend.

The HKSEVENS Kick-off Concert will be the perfect warm-up for a weekend of world-class sport and entertainment. Tickets for the concert, which is capped at 3,500 spectators, will be available for $199 and will go on sale from 1 March through Ticketflap (http://www.ticketflap.com/hksevenskickoff). VIP packages for the HKSEVENS Kick-off Concert can be purchased directly from the Hong Kong Rugby Union.

• The HKSevens Kick-off Concert is organized and promoted by the Hong Kong Rugby Union and sponsored by Marriott and Tag Heuer.