The 44th Hong Kong Arts Festival in 2016
57% tickets sold by close of advance sales

Counter bookings begin on Saturday 12 December 2015

(Hong Kong, 9 December 2015) The 44th Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) receives keen responses from audience, selling 57% of 101,000 available tickets by the close of advance sales. Counter bookings begin at 10:00am on 12 December at all URBTIX outlets (www.urbtix.hk | 2111 5999), while tickets to performances at the HK Academy for Performing Arts will be available also at all HK Ticketing outlets (www.hkticketing.com |31 288 288).

Top 12 most popular programmes
Based on the number of advance tickets sold, the 12 top-selling HKAF programmes are: Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club® "Adiós Tour", The Royal Shakespeare Company’s King and Country, Mikhailovsky Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty, Compagnia Finzi Pasca’s La Verità (The Truth), Bristol Old Vic and National Theatre of Great Britain’s co-production Jane Eyre, Circa’s Opus, Teatro Regio Torino’s Simon Boccanegra, Cantonese opera Li Bai: The Immortal Poet, Teatro Regio Torino’s Noseda conducts Verdi, Shostakovich and Prokofiev, Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov in Concert, U-Theatre & Rundfunkchor Berlin’s LOVER and Thomanerchor Leipzig & Gewandhausorchester Leipzig’s St Matthew Passion.

Additional Performance of Chinese Lesson
Due to popular demand, there will be an additional performance of Chinese Lesson on Sunday, 28 February 2016 at 8:15pm. Commissioned by the HKAF, Chinese Lesson is a topical new play that examines Hong Kong students and their responses to issues of the day.

Featuring 119 performances and more
Featuring over 1,400 international artists and local talents in 119 performances, the Festival will run from 19 February to 20 March 2016. The 44th HKAF Programme & Booking Guide is available at all URBTIX outlets throughout Hong Kong and the Festival Information Counters located at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and Hong Kong City Hall. Programme information and ticket availability can also be found at www.hk.artsfestival.org.

Topping off the list of live performances, Festival PLUS offers audiences an exciting array of outreach activities including film screenings, masterclasses, cultural walks, workshops, meet-the-artist sessions and backstage tours that enrich the Festival experiences. Details can be found at www.hk.artsfestivalplus.org and in the Festival PLUS Programme Guide 2016 launched today.


About the Hong Kong Arts Festival
Launched in 1973, the Hong Kong Arts Festival (“HKAF”) is a major annual international celebration of the performing arts and one of the region’s premier cultural events. Held in February and March each year, HKAF presents over 1,400 artists in more than a dozen venues throughout Hong Kong, supplemented by about 250 Festival PLUS and arts education events.

HKAF presents the world’s top artists as well as stars of tomorrow and gives equal importance to great traditions and contemporary creations. HKAF also commissions and produces works in theatre, chamber opera and contemporary dance; some HKAF productions have toured to other Asian cities after their Hong Kong premiere.

HKAF is a non-profit organization. The estimated budget for the 2016 Festival is around HK$110 million. About 30% of its annual income comes from government funding, about 37% from the box office, and close to 32% from sponsorships and donations from corporations, individuals, and charitable foundations.

For more information, please visit: www.hk.artsfestival.org .

Media Enquiries
For further enquiries, please contact the Marketing Department of the Hong Kong Arts Festival:

Ms Wendy Chung (Opera and Music) Tel: 2828 4931, Email: wendy.chung@hkaf.org
Ms Alexia Chow (Theatre, Dance and Chinese Opera) Tel: 2828 4933, Email: alexia.chow@hkaf.org
Mr Bonny Loo (Jazz/World Music, Theatre) Tel: 2828 4932, Email: bonny.loo@hkaf.org