As a major cultural highlight in Asia, the Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) features leading international, regional, national and local talent in over 140 performances and related events. The 38th HKAF, which opens in February 2010, ended its six-week advance booking period last Friday (27 November 2009). In spite of the current economic climate, advance sales were very strong, with more than 55% of the tickets already sold (over 50,000 tickets).

Additional Performances
Due to popular response, the HKAF is delighted to offer nine supplementary performances: two performances of Naamyam – Songs of Love and Lament on 27 February (3:00pm and 6:00pm); one evening performance of Li Chuanyun Solo Violin Recital @IFC55 on 3 March (8:00pm); one matinee performance of The Liaisons on 6 March (3:00pm); one evening performance of Café de los Maestros on 7 March (8:00pm); one evening performance of Meta4 Quartet on 11 March (8:00pm); and three performances of The Truth About Lying – two matinees (3:00pm) on 21 and 28 March, plus an evening performance (8:00pm) on 24 March.

12 Top-Selling Programmes
Based on the current number of tickets sold, the 12 top-selling programmes include: The Mariinsky Ballet's Don Quixote; The Liaisons; Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra; The Truth About Lying; Cantonese Opera Treasures; Café de los Maestros; The Tempest; On the Waterfront; Philharmonia Orchestra; Suzhou Kun Opera Theater of Jiangsu Province; Sing the Truth: Nina Simone Remembered; and The Mariinsky Opera – Britten's The Turn of the Screw.

Booking Opens on 5 December 2009
Counter booking opens at 10:00am local time on Saturday 5 December at all URBTIX outlets.* Tickets to performances at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and Star Hall, HITEC will also be available at all HK Ticketing outlets.

How to Book
From 5 December 2009, tickets for the 38th Hong Kong Arts Festival can be booked in the following ways:

In-Person Booking
All URBTIX outlets*
All HK Ticketing outlets**
Please refer to the Festival website for the full list of ticketing outlets:
www.hk.artsfestival.org

Internet Booking
URBTIX www.urbtix.hk
HK Ticketing www.hkticketing.com**

Telephone Booking
URBTIX 2111 5999
HK Ticketing 31 288 288**

* Due to the Hong Kong 2009 East Asian Games Opening Ceremony, the URBTIX outlet at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre will be closed on 5 December 2009.

** HK Ticketing only sells tickets for performances at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (The Liaisons, On the Waterfront, The Tempest) and Star Hall, HITEC (Sa Dingding).

The Festival Programme & Booking Guide is available at all URBTIX and HK Ticketing outlets. Free copies of the Festival DVD/DVD-Rom with video and audio excerpts of selected programmes can be picked up from the Festival Information Counters located at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and Hong Kong City Hall (while stock lasts). Information about the Festival can be found at www.hk.artsfestival.org

Further Information
For further information, please contact the marketing department of the Hong Kong Arts Festival:

Alexia Chow  alexia.chow@hkaf.org   +852 2828 4933
Gigi Chang    gigi.chang@hkaf.org     +852 2828 4932
Ruskin Leung ruskin.leung@hkaf.org  +852 2828 4931

Hong Kong Arts Festival
The Hong Kong Arts Festival is a major event on the international arts calendar, with the mission of presenting an annual festival for the cultural enrichment of Hong Kong and the Asia Pacific region. The HKAF offers more than 100 performances and other cultural activities in February and March, with more than 100,000 attendees each year. The Young Friends Scheme, also an initiative of the HKAF, nurtures and stimulates interest in the arts among secondary school and university students. Over the past 15 years, a total of 460,000 students have participated in a variety of year-round activities.