The Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) returns for its 53rd edition with an eclectic lineup that bridges the traditional and the contemporary, the local and the global. With the theme of “Fantasy and Adventure”, this year’s festival invites audiences to embark on transformative journeys through cutting-edge productions, immersive technologies and timeless classics. IAM caught up with Executive Director Flora Yu and Programme Directors Grace Lang and So Kwok Wan to discover how the HKAF is redefining the way audiences engage with the arts
With such a diverse lineup of performances at this year’s Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF), including innovative technologies like VR and AR alongside traditional art forms, how did you approach curating the festival’s theme of fantasy and adventure? How do these elements reshape the way audiences engage with the performing arts?
Grace Lang (GL): “Fantasy and adventure” evoke excitement and imagination. In a world that is constantly changing, we aim to move forward with artists and audiences alike, exploring our inner selves, overcoming life’s challenges and venturing
into the unknown. The theme encapsulates this spirit of exploration, encouraging audiences to embrace creativity and innovation.
So Kwok Wan (SKW): This theme is brought to life through a mix of cutting-edge and traditional art forms. For example, Spanish choreographer and film director Blanca Li’s Le Bal de Paris offers a unique, VR-driven interactive dance experience, while 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Scott Silven’s Wonders transport audiences to extraordinary worlds through adventurous storytelling and magical performances. By integrating technologies like VR and AR alongside puppetry and circus arts, we are reshaping the way audiences engage with the performing arts, making the experience more immersive, accessible and transformative. We hope these elements push the boundaries of what art can be and inspire audiences to see life through a lens of wonder.
The festival celebrates both classical and contemporary works while fostering international collaborations. How do you balance honouring tradition with pushing creative boundaries, and what role do these global partnerships play in shaping the festival’s identity?
SKW: We constantly try to forge new friendships and explore new territories while reinforcing long friendships with more ambitious projects. Such collaborations not only enrich our programming but also establish Hong Kong as a bridge between cultures, reinforcing its position as a centre for international cultural exchange.
Balancing tradition and innovation happen organically when we find productions that reinterpret classics in new and exciting ways. For example, Ryuichi Sakamoto’s TIME and Emma Rice’s Wuthering Heights reimagine timeless classics with a contemporary vision, combining the beauty of their source material with bold, modern creative expressions. These productions show that honouring tradition doesn’t mean being confined by it.
GL: Our global collaborations play a vital role in shaping the festival’s identity as a cultural hub. This year, we are delighted to partner with institutions like the Teatro Comunale di Bologna (founded in 1763) and the Shanghai Yue Opera House (founded in 1955). These partnerships bring the best of Western and Eastern traditions to Hong Kong and will be on stage from 27 February to 1 March, side-by-side at the Concert Hall and Grand Theatre of the HK Cultural Centre respectively.
The Orchestra of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna will perform colourful works by Rossini, Puccini, Donizetti and Respighi, including a complementary, family-friendly programme around Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite. The Shanghai Yue Opera House, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, will host performances of The Butterfly Lovers, The Jade Hairpin and Family, which is based on Chinese novelist Ba Jin’s 1933 novel. This Chinese opera, which portrays the depth and progressiveness of youth culture in Chengdu during the period, features Zhao Zhigang, who won the Plum Blossom Award, the highest honour in Chinese theatre.
The PLUS programmes and educational initiatives are a hallmark of the HKAF. Can you share how these efforts have impacted the community, particularly young audiences? How are they evolving this year?
GL: Arts education is at the heart of our mission, reaching audiences young and old across diverse communities through our annual festival. The Young Friends of the HKAF programme, now in its 33rd year, has engaged over 840,000 students, with a cumulative membership of more than 190,000. This initiative dives deep into the roots of artistic creations, from early repertoire to contemporary works, evolving to include more participatory workshops and large-scale performances.
For example, during this year’s festival, Li Biao and The Philharmonic Percussion Group of Berlin will perform selections from our Young Friends’ Young Composers project in a workshop performance at the Concert Hall of the HK Cultural Centre. Such opportunities provide young audiences with hands-on exposure to the creative process, fostering their appreciation for the arts and inspiring the next generation of artists and cultural enthusiasts.
The festival includes several cross-disciplinary and multisensory productions, like Beethoven Wars: A Battle for Peace and The Waste Land. How do you think these boundary-pushing performances resonate with Hong Kong’s audiences and connect with international festival goers?
GL: Productions like Beethoven Wars: A Battle for Peace push artistic boundaries by combining disciplines in unexpected ways. Beethoven Wars pairs symphonic music with the visual storytelling of manga, while The Waste Land, inspired by
TS Eliot’s masterpiece, brings together hip-hop dancers, breakers, aerial acrobats and the Amsterdam Sinfonietta. These performances appeal to a wide range of audiences by uniting different generations and interests.
As these works are recent creations, their Asian premieres at HKAF are likely to attract international audiences eager to see how contemporary global challenges—such as conflict, hope and regeneration—are interpreted by artists. These productions reflect the festival’s commitment to innovation and its role as a platform for exploring the most urgent themes of our time.
This year marks the start of the three-year exploration of
300 years of Cantonese Opera. Why is this significant, and how do you hope it will influence the perception of Cantonese opera both locally and internationally?
GL: The 300 years of Cantonese Opera project is an ambitious initiative designed to preserve and celebrate this unique art form. Led by maestro Yuen Siu-fai, the project brings together veteran artists to present traditional plays and explore their evolution over three centuries. Importantly, the productions remain true to the genre’s authentic singing styles and performance techniques, honouring the Cantonese opera’s more loose, fluid nature.
We featured the Cuban divas several years ago after the screening of the film Havana Divas and treasure how much Cantonese Opera had been preserved by the many amateur and professional Cantonese opera lovers and artists who were still living in different parts of the world. By showcasing its beauty on an international stage and highlighting its historical depth, we hope to inspire a renewed appreciation for this art form among both local and global audiences, ensuring it remains vibrant and relevant for future generations.
The HKAF has grown tremendously since its inception in 1973. What are your hopes for its future development, and how do you see its role in shaping Hong Kong’s position as a global cultural hub?
Flora Yu (FY): Since its founding in 1973, the HKAF has played a key role in the city’s artistic development by bringing world-class artists to the city and showcasing Hong Kong’s talent on the global stage. Looking ahead, we aim to deepen our programming and outreach, fostering new collaborations and inspiring the community through bold, creative initiatives.
A cultural hub needs creators, practitioners, administrators, educators, participants and audiences who are deeply engaged with the arts. It must be able to inspire the community in its arts deliveries and be a pioneer in opening paths and fostering artistic relationships and partnerships. We aim to continue to be Hong Kong’s connection to the best in the global arts scene, to further deepen our programming and outreach, and be the industry standard for artistic excellence. We will continue to respect and preserve tradition. At the same time we will act as a driving force for artistic innovation, the latest technologies and the wildest creative ideas. We will address the most important causes concerning humankind in a forever-changing world. We also want the HKAF to be a festival for every resident and visitor of Hong Kong.
We believe, and hope, that our commitment and continuous efforts to achieving these goals will contribute significantly to Hong Kong’s position as a global cultural hub.
The Hong Kong Arts Festival takes place from 28 February to 29 March 2025. To discover more, visit hk.artsfestival.org/en