Can’t wait for Art Month? Start with these shows in February

Hong Kong’s art scene has been booming in the past few years, shaking off the city’s previous notoriety as a cultural desert. Proof? Art Month will bring plenty of visual art to the city in March, but let’s begin with this month’s diverse programme of prerequisites for performing arts (and more) lovers of all ages.

1. Hong Kong Arts Festival | Various

Encompassing music, arts, theatre, dance and family-friendly programmes, the Hong Kong Arts Festival provides an abundance of world class performances starting in February:

The Art of Trumpet
Hong Kong City Hall
16 February

This music experience with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta marks the debut of Sergei Nakariakov, the new darling of the trumpet world, and the last season for beloved music director Yip Wing-sie, who’s stepping down after the 2019-2020 season. Find out more

Lin Hwai-min: Five decades of showcasing Asia's cultures through dance
Hong Kong Cultural Centre
21-24 February

Having been described as “lyrical, meditative, explosive and enthralling”, the work of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre's legendary founder/choreographer Lin Hwai-min has wowed audiences the world over. This special farewell retrospective celebrates Lin’s work and contribution to Asian dance over the past five decades as he steps down as artistic director at the end of 2019. Find out more

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The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
27 February-2 March

This mesmerising semi-autobiographical tale about memory, identity and cultural history is written and performed by remarkable theatre visionary Robert Lepage. Find out more

Mummenschanz Reloaded
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts: 21 & 22 February
Yuen Long Theatre: 24 February

Still going strong after five decades, this performance for all ages has it all: lights, dance, masks and of course, muppets. Be enthralled by stunning optical illusions and exciting theatre visions. Find out more

2. Kidsfest 2019 | Family

The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Til 17 February

Let your children’s imagination run wild at Kidsfest, an event featuring three weeks of world-class theatre productions. Have the littles rolling in laughter with the energetic, action-packed acrobatic comedy Children Are Stinky, or get excited by the many innovative shapes and forms a bubble can create with the award-winning Clinc! World of Bubbles! But that’s not all – British sensation The Gruffalo will also grace the stage, where Mouse will lead kids on an adventure through the deep, dark woods…will they bump into the terrifying Gruffalo? Find out more

3. The Great Gatsby | Dance

The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
15-17 February

Step into the glamourous world of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s New York in the Roaring Twenties with the Hong Kong Ballet. Be swept away by the company’s exquisite choreography and decadent party scenes against a backdrop designed by Academy Award winner Tim Yip (of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon fame) and live jazz music by award-winning blues singer E. Faye Butler. Find out more

4. The Legend of the White Snake | Chinese Opera

Xiqu Centre
26 February

With the much-anticipated opening of the Xiqu Centre comes a space dedicated to the art of Chinese opera. This new adaptation brings romance and martial arts together to tell the love story between Madam White Snake and Xu Xian, and features new scores performed in traditional singing styles by both veteran and emerging stars. Find out more

5. Cine Fan Programmes | Film

Tai Kwun
8-17 February

Film buffs, take note: the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society will be screening films in Tai Kwun ranging from Mullholland Drive to Sunset Boulevard, as well as a selection of ten films cherished by acclaimed film critic Wong Ain-ling on the anniversary of her passing. Find out more

6. Company | Theatre

Tuen Mun Town Hall, Sha Tin Town Hall
15-17 February; 21-24 February

This beloved Stephen Sondheim musical is getting a Cantonese makeover. 90s pop singers Amanda Lee Wai-man and Andrew Cheung Shung-gei will guide audiences through the love and loss of city romances with award-winning tunes and age-old storytelling. A must-see for Broadway musical fans. Find out more