Each spring, Hong Kong finds a different rhythm. Concert halls buzz with anticipation, theatre curtains rise to reveal new worlds and audiences across the city gather in search of fresh experiences. For more than 50 years, the Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) has been at the centre of this cultural celebration, bringing outstanding artists and memorable performances from around the world to the city.
Returning in February and March 2027, the 55th HKAF will welcome nearly 1,500 local and international artists for more than 190 performances, alongside around 300 “PLUS”, educational and outreach events. Since the Festival’s inception in 1973, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has been a staunch supporter of its mission, helping generations of audiences discover the joy and power of live performance.
Festivities begin on 18 February with a much-anticipated concert by acclaimed pianist Bruce Liu and the renowned Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. This opening performance is part of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series, a flagship HKAF programme sponsored by the Club’s Charities Trust, and sets the stage for a month of music, theatre, dance and artistic encounters from around the world.
Acclaimed pianist Bruce Liu will join the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal for the opening performance of the 55th Hong Kong Arts Festival. (Credit: Antoine Saito)
Among other highlights of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series are Johann Strauss II’s operetta Die Fledermaus (The Bat) (Mar 12),one of the world’s best-loved operettas characterised by melody, humour and mistaken identities, and Alexander Ekman’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Feb 19), a visually arresting contemporary ballet inspired by Swedish midsummer traditions.
Alexander Ekman’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is performed by the Ballet Dortmund. One of its performances is presented under The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series.
The Jockey Club East-meets-West Series features Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, which reimagines the ancient Greek comedy as a colourful spectacle of music, dance and satire, as well as Macbeth, a major new Chinese-language production commissioned and co-produced by the Festival.
Slovenian National Theatre Opera and Ballet Ljubljana will perform Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus (The Bat) at the 55th Hong Kong Arts Festival. (Credit: Darja Stravs Tisu)
For audiences interested in arts technology, the Jockey Club InnoArts Series: SHIFT offers a glimpse into new possibilities for the performing arts. This world premiere challenges perceptions through an immersive choreography of bodies, light and sensation, inviting audiences to experience performance in a fresh and unexpected way.
With so much happening across Hong Kong, perhaps the greatest pleasure of the HKAF lies in the unexpected. Inspired to discover more? Visit www.hk.artsfestival.org or scan the QR code to browse the full programme and purchase tickets.
