The Hong Kong Arts Festival

Announces Full Programme Line-up of the 54th HKAF in 2026

Advance Bookings start at 10am on 16 October 2025

(Hong Kong, 15 October 2025)

The Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) is pleased to announce the full programme line-up of the upcoming 54th HKAF scheduled to take place in February and March 2026, featuring more than 1,100 outstanding international and local artists in over 170 performances of more than 45 programmes, as well as about 300 “PLUS”, outreach and education events.

Detailed programme and ticketing information can be found on the HKAF website: www.hk.artsfestival.org, and in the Festival’s Programme and Booking Guide, available at major performance venues. Advance Bookings will open at 10am on 16 October 2025 on the website, by fax and by post.

“Organising an international arts festival of this scale requires a huge amount of resources, especially with costs rapidly and constantly rising. Every year, the Hong Kong Arts Festival makes every effort to raise the necessary funds. This year, the Festival needs to generate a total income of at least HK$159 million, about 24% of which will have to come from the box office,” says Professor Lo Kingman, Chairman of the HKAF. “I would like to thank the Hong Kong SAR Government for providing a recurrent subvention of HK$18.34 million through the LCSD, amounting to about 12% of our annual income. I thank the Government also for including the Festival in its Art Development Matching Grants Scheme, which matches part of our sponsorship and donation income, and this is expected to bring in an estimated 20% of our annual revenue. My utmost gratitude goes to our many sponsors and donors whose tremendous contributions, amounting to 44% of our total revenue, allow the Festival to thrive and grow. In particular, I wish to thank The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, which has provided continuous support to the Festival since 1973.”

Ms Flora Yu, Executive Director of the HKAF, introduces the programmes and outreach activities to be presented during the 54th Festival: “La Bella Otero by the Ballet Nacional de España will open the 2026 Festival on Friday 27 February, and the extremely popular Chinese dance production Dream in The Peony Pavilion will close the Festival on Friday 27 March.

This year’s Festival continues to boast a stellar line-up of top artists from around the world. For example, there are music legend Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Cantonese opera veteran Yuen Siu-fai, master choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, celebrated tenor Benjamin Bernheim, ballet superstar Roberto Bolle, master dramatist Meng Jinghui, jazz great Roberto Fonseca and the two young Van Cliburn gold medallists Yunchan Lim and Aristo Sham, alongside other internationally acclaimed talents.

The arts always offer a beacon of hope during troubled times around the world, and peace, courage and resilience are among the themes explored at the 2026 HKAF. Examples include a bold new theatre adaptation of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, celebrating peace in times of war, under the Jockey Club East-meets-West Series; a groundbreaking collaboration between choreographer Lin Hwai-min, illustrator Jimmy Liao and Taiwan’s largest circus troupe FOCASA, delivering a heartwarming story about chasing dreams; The 7 Fingers’ celebration of peace and love in Duel Reality; and organist Cameron Carpenter’s captivating movie concert featuring Sports Queen.

The Festival continues to embrace arts technology this year with the Jockey Club InnoArts Series programme: KAGAMI , in which the late Ryuichi Sakamoto and Tin Drum have pushed the creative boundaries through the magic of mixed reality. Audiences can also experience works that are both eco-conscious and artistically profound. The Drunkard showcases a ‘mobile theatre’ concept to reinterpret Liu Yichang’s classic novel, while Ontroerend Goed’s Handle with Care offers a unique theatre experience with no actors—just a box full of instructions—that sparks a newfound sense of human connection. These works exemplify the Festival’s commitment to bringing sustainable arts to the next level.

To further enrich the audience’s festival experience, this year’s Festival will offer an expanded range of ‘PLUS’ programmes, designed to encourage reflection and interaction beyond the performances themselves. Among these programmes are a series of guided cultural tours, including visits to a fishing community and to Sheung Wan district for a taste of retro-literary Hong Kong from the 1960s. The Festival will also continue to host large-scale outreach and educational activities, aiming to cultivate an interest in the performing arts among the younger generation.”

PROGRAMMES OF THE 54th HKAF

FESTIVAL OPENING

The 54th HKAF opens in grand style with Ballet Nacional de España—La Bella Otero, a large-scale production that tells the story of the alluring 19th-century Spanish artist Carolina Otero, once one of the most famous women in the world. Artistic Director Rubén Olmo has re-imagined Otero’s extraordinary life in his choreography, which draws intriguing parallels with Bizet’s Carmen while showcasing a variety of Spanish dances.

FESTIVAL FINALE

Dance Theatre—Dream in The Peony Pavilion is a visually stunning and emotionally stirring Chinese dance production directed and choreographed by Li Xing, one of the Chinese Mainland’s most sought-after new-generation directors. The programme re-imagines Tang Xianzu’s Ming dynasty play for the contemporary stage, paying tribute to this classic Chinese love story in a hazy and surreal style.

OPERA

The 54th HKAF presents a classic masterpiece of Russian Romantic opera that is rarely performed in Hong Kong. It features an outstanding large ensemble of soloists, orchestra and choir from one of the Czech Republic’s most esteemed cultural institutions and a cornerstone of Central European operatic life.

•A story of unrequited love, shattered friendship and haunting regret unfolds with heart-stirring beauty in Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin. National Theatre Brno’s powerful staging brings this Romantic-era classic vividly to life—for two performances only.

MUSIC

The 54th HKAF provides a feast for music lovers, and audiences can enjoy unique performances from star-studded line-ups across classical music, jazz and world music. Notably, the Festival features two breathtaking recitals by two recent winners of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

•Power and beauty come together in a beautiful marriage at these two unmissable concerts showcasing choral masterpieces by Mozart and Bach, led by the world-class authority Sir John Eliot Gardiner. With his newly founded Constellation Choir & Orchestra, the influential scholar-conductor makes these stirring works of sacred music—cornerstones of Western civilisation—feel urgent and contemporary.

•BACH—Trevor Pinnock, Emmanuel Pahud & Jonathan Manson highlights a dream trio of classical music legends coming together to play a variety of sonatas, fugues and suites, showcasing their profound musical bond.

•Praised as a “one-in-a-million talent”, South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim joins the Academy of St Martin in the Fields—one of the world’s most celebrated chamber orchestras—for a programme celebrating the Romantic repertoire, from Schumann and Brahms to Elgar’s twilight-hued Serenade for Strings, led by Hong Kong’s own Wilson Ng.

•The acclaimed Academy of St Martin in the Fields is joined by South Korean pianist Minsoo Sohn—an interpreter of uncommon depth—and Hong Kong conductor Wilson Ng to bring the magnificence of Beethoven’s “Emperor” and Mozart’s “Jupiter” to the Festival.

•At only 21 years old, Yunchan Lim has become a global phenomenon, combining prodigious virtuosity with striking emotional depth. His piano recital offers a perfect opportunity to experience an artist acclaimed as “the real deal” at the height of his meteoric rise.

•Fresh from winning the Gold Medal and Audience Award at the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Hong Kong pianist Aristo Sham presents a virtuosic piano recital centred on Ferruccio Busoni’s masterly transcriptions alongside piano works by Johannes Brahms—music that reflects both technical brilliance and artistic excellence.

•Opus Klassik Awards’ Male Singer of the Year Benjamin Bernheim makes his highly anticipated Hong Kong debut. Joined by conductor Victor Jacob and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the French tenor will present a selection of his signature operatic arias, showcasing the authentic, deeply expressive singing style that has earned him international acclaim.

•CR Holdings Proudly Sponsors the “Music Without Borders” Series: Cameron Carpenter, Chiyan Wong and the HK Phil features piano phenomenon Chiyan Wong and organ iconoclast Cameron Carpenter—two of the world’s most charismatic interpreters of keyboard works from the classical repertoire. Joined by conductor Lin Daye and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, they are set to perform a pair of technically challenging and explosive works by Richard Strauss and Joseph Jongen that showcase their virtuosic skills to the fullest.

•Organist Cameron Carpenter has been re-writing the rules of classical organ composition and performance for the past couple of decades. He now brings his incredible talents to bear on a work of equally exalted stature: the legendary Chinese silent film Sports Queen.

•CR Holdings Proudly Sponsors the “Music Without Borders” Series: Roberto Fonseca—La Gran Diversión features piano virtuoso Fonseca and his band, who will take audiences back to the heart of Cuba’s jazz age with fiery percussive rhythms and backing from an orchestra.

•Breaking the barriers between art and technology, Portugal’s Gulbenkian Choir performs a new vocal work live alongside a virtual version of itself, projected in high definition onto a screen, and joined by Hong Kong pianist Rachel Cheung. In a separate concert, the choir brings choral works from Portuguese composers, as well as Bach and Brahms, to life in a soaring acapella performance.

•The National Theatre Brno Orchestra and Choir will bring a rare full performance of Dvořák’s Requiem to Hong Kong, led by newly appointed Chief Conductor Robert Kružík. Combining sacred power with lyrical beauty, the work offers a moving meditation on life, death and faith.

•A Gala Celebration of Czech Music brings together three towering voices of Czech music, as leading musicians explore Bedřich Smetana’s patriotic lyricism, Antonín Dvořák’s warmth and folkloric charm, and Leoš Janáček’s passion in music rich with colour, character and expressive fire.

•The award-winning NOVUS Quartet from South Korea has taken the world’s stages by storm with its refined sound and passion. Prize-winners at two of Europe’s most prestigious competitions in Munich and Salzburg, it now brings its acclaimed artistry to Hong Kong after a residency at London’s Wigmore Hall and a landmark Brahms cycle.

•The daring New York-based new-music ensemble Mivos Quartet will perform all three of Steve Reich’s profound works for string quartet: Different Trains (1988), Triple Quartet (1999) and WTC 9/11 (2010), promising an unforgettable encounter with the urgent, hypnotic world of the pioneer of minimalism.

•Grammy-winning woodwind ensemble Imani Winds has been stunning audiences with its virtuosity and diverse repertoire since 1997. Its Soul’s Delight concert highlights this versatility through a programme blending traditions and genres, offering a soulful journey through European, American, African and Latin American influences.

•Together with a trio of Berlin musicians, pianist Chiyan Wong fuses classical and jazz in the daring and imaginative programme Chiyan Wong and Friends—Reflections on a Sampan. Inspired by the city’s cultural roots, history and innovation, Wong’s unique musical voice reflects a heady mix of influences from the songs of Hong Kong’s historic boat-dwelling fishermen to Brazilian bossa nova and Debussy.

•In Bi-An: Yu Xiangjun Piano-Hypermedia Recital—Chinese Opera at the Keyboard, the award-winning pianist presents her virtuosic interpretations in a multi-dimensional recital featuring works by leading contemporary composers. Music lovers are in for a treat as Yu performs fresh renditions of Chinese opera compositions on the piano, providing a unique artistic experience that remains faithful to the essence of the art form.

•The Hong Kong Arts Festival and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra again co-present the “Music About China” series, celebrating China’s cultural diversity through sound. The concert features three distinctive pieces consisting of both classic and new works.

•World Music Weekend proudly showcases three extraordinary ensembles—Gonia, Dianshui Nanyue and WOOONTA—each a vibrant force in rekindling traditional musical heritages while boldly forging innovative soundscapes. Their genres span Korean gugak music and jazz, nanyin and the borderless interplay of Eastern and global instruments.

ARTS TECH

This year’s Hong Kong Arts Festival proudly presents a music programme that fuses technology and art, presenting an outstanding programme that brings a much-missed master back to life through technological magic.

•In the mixed-reality piano recital Jockey Club InnoArts Series: KAGAMI by Ryuichi Sakamoto & Tin Drum, experience the iconic Japanese composer performing live once more as you watch his fingertips dance over the keyboard. This is a mirror reflecting his soul—where light and melody intertwine in a vision of eternity.

CHINESE OPERA

The Chinese opera programmes feature a distinctive historic epic, classic excerpts performed by celebrated Cantonese opera stars, and Liyuan opera with a history spanning nearly 900 years. Audiences will have the opportunity to savor the unique charm of each opera genre.

•The HKAF continues its three-year project with 300 Years of Cantonese Opera: The Transition to celebrate the unique art form during its golden age. Led by esteemed Cantonese opera master Yuen Siu-fai, the programme features a profound historic epic and a curated selection of excerpts.

•Liyuan opera is one of the oldest surviving forms of Chinese opera, known for its timeless elegance and simplicity. Fujian Province Liyuan Opera Inheritance Centre—Red Wedding Bed is an inventive operatic adaptation of the classic ancient script Chen San, the genre’s most enduring love story.

DANCE

The 54th HKAF features a stunning dance line-up, including poetic modern ballet performed by international ballet superstars, the return of contemporary dance legends to Hong Kong, a poetic dance theatre and a vibrant Spanish dance extravaganza—offering audiences the ultimate showcase of diversity in dance.

•Ballet superstar Roberto Bolle is one of the most celebrated dancers of the past 30 years, and Caravaggio is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to see him in one of his greatest roles. Caravaggio, a brilliant yet tormented genius, is brought back to life by Bolle in Mauro Bigonzetti’s mesmerising ballet, full of dazzling dancing, breathtaking drama and stunning visuals.

•Invocación is a dazzling production by Spain’s premier dance company that showcases a kaleidoscope of works by legendary choreographers, including a powerful tribute to Spain’s most influential flamenco dancer and choreographer Mario Maya, promising a moving and visually stunning experience.

•Rosas danst Rosas, an iconic piece in the history of post-modern dance, is a fierce interplay of synchronisation and de-synchronisation. Four female dancers perform everyday movements, evoking familiar moments that have now mesmerised audiences around the world for more than four decades.

•BREL is a newly choreographed duet inspired by the music of Jacques Brel. It’s the latest creation by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, a towering figure in the international dance world for more than three decades. De Keersmaeker herself will take the stage alongside rising dance talent Solal Mariotte.

•Norwegian choreographer Alan Lucien Øyen is best known for his partnership with Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch. Now he brings his bold re-imagining of Sophocles’ tragedy Antigone, a hauntingly beautiful production featuring dancers from Tanztheater Wuppertal and the Paris Opera Ballet, confronting urgent questions of our time.

•INterstices is the City Contemporary Dance Company’s landmark 2026 production, created by Artistic Director Sang Jijia. It combines high-voltage physicality with multimedia stagecraft.

THEATRE

The 54th HKAF showcases a diverse array of bold theatre adaptations and innovative productions, from re-imagined classics to groundbreaking contemporary works dealing with themes spanning love, rebellion and existentialism. Whether tragedy or comedy, audiences are sure to find resonance within the theatre.

•Based on Kim Young-ha’s seminal award-winning novel, The Empire of Light takes the audience on a journey between truth and lies, dreams and reality, where the lives of a North Korean sleeper agent and his wife unravel in just 24 hours.

•German theatre director and dramaturge Sebastian Kaiser will present his radical take on the Hong Kong literature classic The Drunkard through a stream-of-consciousness lens. Embracing a “superpoor” concept, this co-production of the HKAF and the HKAPA is both eco-conscious and visually inventive, stretching the audience’s expectations of the theatre.

•Eminent Chinese stage director Meng Jinghui collaborates with a new generation of actors to re-imagine Samuel Beckett’s iconic work, transforming En attendant Godot (Waiting for Godot) into an innovative theatrical experience like no other.

•Jockey Club East-meets-West Series: Aristophanes’ Lysistrata presents one of 11 surviving comedies from Ancient Greece. In this Chinese-language adaptation, the classic tale of tenderness triumphing over force is brought back to life in a riotous revival full of music, dance and satire.

•In a groundbreaking collaboration between leading theatre companies Dead Centre and Beijing Repertory Theater, this bold new adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s First Play probes the cost of rebellion in today’s unforgiving world. As the defiant poet Baal pursues his desires, his face is blurred—a haunting nod to our current cancel culture.

•Volcano is a gripping theatre production that blurs the lines between reality and illusion. Directed by acclaimed choreographer Luke Murphy, this innovative four-part mini-series blends theatre, dance, sci-fi and psychological thriller, offering a provocative and mind-bending experience.

•Belgian avant-garde theatre group Ontroerend Goed returns to Hong Kong with a unique production Handle with Care. This time, there are no actors—just a stage and a mysterious box.

(This programme is not available for Advance Bookings and will be open for public sales from 9 December)

CIRCUS

The festival features two innovative circus productions combining acrobatics, dance and storytelling, from a heartwarming adaptation of a beloved storybook to a bold re-imagining of Romeo and Juliet presented with thrilling intensity.

•Lin Hwai-min, founder of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, collaborates with Taiwan’s largest circus troupe, FOCASA, to transform Jimmy Liao’s beloved storybook characters into a heartwarming theatrical spectacle. FOCASA Circus—One to One Hundred: A Brave Journey blends acrobatics, dance, visual storytelling and immersive imagery, promising an unforgettable journey for people of all ages.

•In Duel Reality, the Canadian troupe The 7 Fingers presents a bold and electrifying fusion of acrobatics, dance and music. Inspired by Romeo and Juliet, this romantic yet high-octane production transforms the stage into a sports arena of love and rivalry, reimagining classic circus arts with thrilling intensity and emotional depth.

HOW TO BUY TICKETS

The Programme and Booking Guide is now available at URBTIX outlets. Programme information is also available on the HKAF’s official website: www.hk.artsfestival.org. Advance Bookings for the 54th HKAF will be accepted from 10am on 16 October 2025 to 11:59pm on 28 November 2025. Patrons can submit their booking forms on the Festival website, by fax or by post, and enjoy discounts of up to 15% on ticket purchases during the Advance Bookings period.

Counter Bookings start at 10am on 9 December 2025. Patrons can book their tickets at URBTIX (online at https://www.hk.artsfestival.org/en/about-us/festival-plus.html, by phone (852) 3166 1288 or at URBTIX outlets).

FESTIVAL “PLUS” and ARTS EDUCATION

In addition to our main performances, the Festival also offers a diverse series of “PLUS”, educational and outreach events:

“PLUS” PROGRAMMES—More Than Great Performances!

The “PLUS” programmes are aimed at broadening the Festival experience, providing audiences with different angles and options every year to learn more about the artists and their works. “PLUS” features a diverse range of activities, including exhibitions, masterclasses, workshops, backstage tours, artist talks, film screenings and local tours, bringing the arts closer to the public. For more details, please visit: www.urbtix.hk.

YOUNG FRIENDS OF THE HONG KONG ARTS FESTIVAL

Established in 1992, the Young Friends of the Hong Kong Arts Festival is an integrated arts education and audience development programme for local full-time secondary and tertiary students aged 25 or below. It is designed to nurture young students' interest in the arts and has nearly reached a remarkable 850,000 students. Members of Young Friends can enjoy two selected performances and rehearsals throughout the Festival. In addition, Young Friends organises various workshops, talks and backstage tours to enhance students’ appreciation of the performing arts. For more details, please visit: https://yfs.artsfestival.org/en.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The 54th HKAF is most grateful to its many sponsors, the main ones being: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, ICBC (Asia), China Resources (Holdings) Co., Ltd., Primasia Foundation Limited, Queen’s Museum, Shun Hing Group, Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund and D.H. Chen Foundation; Official Airline Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, Official Outdoor Media Partner POADmedia Limited, Official Premium Car Partner Dah Chong Hong (Motor Leasing) Limited, Official Video Technology Partner Blackfoot Holdings Limited, and Major Hotel Partner Grand Hyatt Hong Kong.

[Sponsors and Partners]

MEDIA INQUIRIES

For further enquiries, please contact:

•Ms Katy Cheng (Marketing Director): (852) 2828 4930 / katy.cheng@hkaf.org

•Ms Stephanie Cheung (Marketing Manager): (852) 2828 4938 / stephanie.cheung@hkaf.org

•Ms Vicki Cheng (Marketing Manager): (852) 2828 4933 / vicki.cheng@hkaf.org

[Photos downloaded here]

Prof. Lo Kingman, Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Festival, giving a speech at the Press Conference of the 54th Hong Kong Arts Festival.

Ms. Flora Yu, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Arts Festival, introduced the programmes of the 54th Hong Kong Arts Festival.

The Management of the Hong Kong Arts Festival pictured here with the artists and representatives of the sponsors of the 54th Hong Kong Arts Festival.

Guests watching the video highlights of the 54th Hong Kong Arts Festival.

Prof. Lo Kingman, Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Festival (second from the right), Ms. Flora Yu, Executive Director of HKAF (third from the left) and Ms. Brenda Kan, Development Director of HKAF (first from the left) pictured with Ms. Winnie Yip, Head of Charities (Culture, Sports and Community Engagement) of The Hong Kong Jockey Club (third from the right) and Dr. Connie Lau, Executive Manager, Charities (Culture) (second from the left).

Prof. Lo Kingman, Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Festival (right) pictured with Dr. Jimmy Jim, Managing Executive Officer and Alternate Chief Executive of ICBC (Asia) (left) .

Dr. Yuen Siu-fai (second from the right), the artistic director and main cast , and Mr. Lam Tin-yau (second from the left), the main cast of 300 Years of Cantonese Opera: The Transition pictured with Ms. Grace Lang, Programme Director of HKAF (first from the right).

Ms. Flora Yu, Executive Director of HKAF (middle) pictured with Mr. Sang Jijia (left), Artistic Director of City Contemporary Dance Company and Ms. Karen Cheung (right), Acting Executive Director of City Contemporary Dance Company.

Mr. So Kwok-wan, Programme Director of HKAF (third from the left) pictured with Mr. Tony Wong Lung-pun (second from the left), Acting Dean of the School of Drama of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) and Ms. Shi Xuemei (first from the left), Principal Head (External Affairs) of HKAPA, the main cast of The Drunkard, a new work commissioned and produced by the Hong Kong Arts Festival: Mr. Yeung Hop-to (fifth from the right), Ms. Ng Wing-ha (third from the right), Ms. To Yim-shan (fourth from the right) and Ms. Sze Wei (second from the right), and the creatives: Mr. Alastor Chow (sixth from the right), Dramaturg, and Ms. Yammy Fung (first from the right), Costume Designer.