Hong Kong Arts Festival

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A Major International Arts Festival – In, Of and For Hong Kong

HKAF launched in 1973, is a major international arts festival committed to enriching the cultural life of the city by presenting leading local and international artists in all genres of the performing arts as well as a diverse range of “PLUS” and educational events in February and March each year.
HKAF is a non-profit organization. Secured government baseline funding for the Festival in 2018 represents roughly 14% of its HK$125 million budget. Around 32% of the Festival’s income needs to come from the box office, and another 36% from sponsorship and donations made by corporations, individuals, and charitable foundations. It is anticipated that the remaining 18% will come from other revenue sources including the Government’s matching scheme, which matches income generated through private sector sponsorship and donations.
HKAF has presented top international artists and ensembles across multiple genres, such as*:

Western Opera: Bavarian State Opera, The Bolshoi Theatre, The Mariinsky Theatre
Chinese opera: China National Peking Opera Company, Hebei Clapper Opera Troupe, Shanghai Zhang Jun Kunqu Art Center, Suzhou Kunqu Opera Company of Jiangsu, Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Troupe
Classical music: Cecilia Bartoli, Riccardo Chailly, Gustavo Dudamel, Philip Glass, Yo-Yo Ma, Anna Netrebko, Gianandrea Noseda, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Christian Thielemann, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Thomanerchor Leipzig, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Jazz and world music: Bobby McFerrin, Youssou N'Dour, Esperanza Spalding, Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club, Pink Martini
Dance: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Sylvie Guillem, Akram Khan, John Neumeier, American Ballet Theatre, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, Hamburg Ballet, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch
Theatre: Peter Brook, Kevin Spacey, Robert Wilson, Berliner Ensemble, National Theatre of China, Royal Shakespeare Company
Large-scale special events: World of WearableArt, Zingaro
Outdoor events: Power Plant, Super Pool, Chorus

HKAF actively collaborates with Hong Kong’s own creative talent and showcases emerging local artists. Over the years, HKAF has commissioned and produced over 200 local productions across genres including theatre, chamber opera, music and contemporary dance, many with successful subsequent runs in Hong Kong and overseas. Recent HKAF productions include A Floating Family, Hong Kong Odyssey, Chinese Lesson, Danz Up, Datong – The Chinese Utopia, The Amahs, Blast, Wild Boar and Murder in San Jose, to name a few.
HKAF frequently partners with renowned international artists and institutions to produce exceptional works, such as Der Fensterputzer (The Window Washer) co-produced by HKAF, Goethe-Institut Hong Kong and Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Richard III and The Tempest produced by The Old Vic, BAM and Neal Street under “The Bridge Project” with HKAF as a co-commissioning institution, Green Snake co-commissioned with Shanghai International Arts Festival, and Dream of the Red Chamber co-produced with San Francisco Opera.
HKAF invests heavily in arts education for young people. Over the past 26 years, our “Young Friends” scheme has reached over 730,000 local secondary and tertiary school students. A variety of arts education projects serving primary, secondary, and tertiary school students have been launched in recent years, featuring activities such as student showcases, pre-performance talks, open rehearsals, opportunities to attend Festival performances, as well as in-school workshops and lecture demonstrations led by international and local artists. Donations to the “Student Ticket Scheme” also make available approximately 10,000 half-price student tickets each year.
HKAF organises a diverse range of “Festival PLUS” activities in community locations each year to enhance engagement between artists and audiences. These include films, lecture demonstrations, masterclasses, workshops, symposia, backstage visits, exhibitions, meet-the-artist sessions, and guided cultural tours.