The 52nd Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) officially opened on 22 February with the Bayerische Staatsoper (Bavarian State Opera) performing Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. This year, more than 1,400 acclaimed international and local artists will stage over 45 programmes in more than 150 performances during the one-month Festival, including the world premieres of 11 new works, five Asian premieres and three co-productions. As of today, 80% of all available tickets for the performances have been sold. 

The Festival’s opening ceremony was held at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Joining Mr Victor Cha, Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Festival, as the officiating party at the ceremony were Mr Raistlin Lau Chun, Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism; Ms Winnie Yip, Head of Charities (Culture, Sports and Community Engagement) at The Hong Kong Jockey Club; Mr Vincent Liu Ming-kwong, Director of Leisure and Cultural Services; and Ms Flora Yu, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Arts Festival. The Festival Opening Performance was sponsored by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.

This year, the Festival continues its legacy of presenting internationally renowned and multiple-award-winning masters and legends, showcasing an impressive collection of timeless classics re-imagined with a contemporary vision and new aesthetics. The Festival also introduces a fascinating line-up of daring and innovative new works that promise to become canonical works of tomorrow. 

The 52nd HKAF also brings the arts into the community through over 350 outreach events, including special events for Young Friends, educational activities for students at primary and secondary schools as well as tertiary institutions, and PLUS events for the public, to enhance audience engagement with the artists and their work. In addition, HKartsFestival@TaiKwun continues to offer a series of cultural activities completely free of charge to the community.

“The Hong Kong Arts Festival is an important cultural event in the international arts scene, dedicated to enriching the cultural life of Hong Kong and promoting Hong Kong as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange,” said Mr Raistlin Lau Chun, Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism. He added that: “This year’s Arts Festival has been in preparation for a long time. I would like to thank the Festival team for their meticulous planning, allowing the Festival to return to its pre-pandemic scale and present a series of diverse and outstanding programmes. I would also like to thank the sponsors and donors for their generous support and helping to make this year’s Festival a success.”

Mr Victor Cha, Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Festival Society, said: “The Festival is an important annual international cultural event which promotes cultural exchange and the development of the creative industry in Hong Kong. We hope to provide opportunities for the preservation, promotion and innovation of the arts and the strengthening of Hong Kong’s status as an international arts hub.” Mr Cha also thanked the Hong Kong SAR government, sponsoring organisations including The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and numerous commercial enterprises, as well as donors for their financial support for the Festival.

For more information about the Hong Kong Arts Festival, visit hk.artsfestival.org.