Hong Kong Arts Festival

An International Arts Festival in Hong Kong
Connecting China and the World

HKAF, launched in 1973, is a major international arts festival committed to enriching the cultural life of the city by presenting leading local and international artists in all genres of the performing arts as well as a diverse range of “PLUS” and educational events in February and March each year.

HKAF is a non-profit organisation. The total estimated income for FY2025/26 (including the 54th Hong Kong Arts Festival and 2026 “No Limits”) is approximately HK$159 million. Current Government annual baseline funding accounts for around 12% of the Festival's total income. Around 24% of the Festival’s income needs to come from the box office, and around 44% from sponsorship and donations made by corporations, individuals and charitable foundations. The remaining 20% is expected to come from other revenue sources including the Government’s matching grant scheme, which matches income generated through private sector sponsorship and donations.

Estimated Target Income for HKAF in FY2025/26: HK$159 million

HKAF has presented top international artists and ensembles across multiple genres, such as*:

HKAF actively collaborates with Hong Kong’s own creative talent and showcases emerging local artists. Over the years, HKAF has commissioned and produced over 250 local productions across genres including Cantonese opera, theatre, chamber opera, music and contemporary dance, many with successful subsequent runs in Hong Kong and overseas. Recent HKAF productions include Miss Julie, Table for Six on stage, Loveless Romance, We Are Gay, The Plague, Always by Your Side, Pavilion of a Hundred Flowers, A Floating Family – A Trilogy, Hong Kong Odyssey, Danz Up, Datong – The Chinese Utopia, The Amahs and Murder in San Jose, to name a few.

HKAF frequently partners with renowned international artists and institutions to produce exceptional works, such as Der Fensterputzer (The Window Washer) co-produced with Goethe-Institut Hong Kong and Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch; Richard III and The Tempest produced by The Old Vic, BAM and Neal Street under “The Bridge Project” with HKAF as a co-commissioning institution; Green Snake co-commissioned with Shanghai International Arts Festival; Dream of the Red Chamber co-produced with San Francisco Opera; Laila, a co-produced with Finnish National Opera and Ballet, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea , co-produced with The Central Academy of Drama, China and Compagnie Point Fixe.

HKAF invests heavily in arts education for young people. Over the past 33 years, our “Young Friends” scheme has reached around 849,000 local secondary and tertiary school students. A variety of arts education projects serving primary, secondary, and tertiary school students have been launched in recent years, featuring activities such as student showcases, pre-performance talks, open rehearsals, opportunities to attend Festival performances, as well as in-school workshops and lecture demonstrations led by international and local artists. Donations to the “Student Ticket Scheme” also make available approximately 10,000 half-price student tickets each year.

HKAF organises a diverse range of “Festival PLUS” activities in community locations each year to enhance engagement between artists and audiences. These include films, lecture demonstrations, masterclasses, workshops, symposia, backstage visits, exhibitions, meet-the-artist sessions, and guided cultural tours.

HKAF actively promotes inclusion via the arts to every corner of the community. The “No Limits” project, co-presented with The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, was launched in 2019. Through a series of performances and diverse arts experiences for students and the community, “No Limits” strives to create an inclusive space for people with different abilities to share the joy of the arts together.

To provide greater financial security and long-term sustainability for the Festival, the Hong Kong Arts Festival Foundation was officially launched in 2022. Donations to the Foundation will be used towards enabling the Festival to present in the future large-scale or special projects which its annual budget cannot cater for.

(Updated May 2025)

*Details of past HKAF programmes can be found here

To find out more about sponsorship opportunities and donation details for the Hong Kong Arts Festival, please contact the HKAF Development Department.
Email: dev@hkaf.org
Direct Lines: (852) 2828 4911/12
Website: www.hk.artsfestival.org/en/support-us