13 FEBRUARY - 14 MARCH 2020
Hong Kong Arts Festival (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 represents about 12% of the FY2019/2020 budget, with another around 5% specially provided by the Government as time-limited additional funding for five years since 2018/19. Nearly 23% of the Festival’s income needs to come from the box office, and nearly 40% from sponsorship and donations made by corporations, individuals, and charitable foundations. It is anticipated that the remaining 20% will come from other revenue sources including the Government’s matching scheme, which matches income generated through private sector sponsorship and donations.
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 Cantonese opera, theatre, chamber opera, music and contemporary dance, many with successful subsequent runs in Hong Kong and overseas. Recent HKAF productions include Gangsters of Hong Kong, Always by Your Side, Pavilion of a Hundred Flowers, A Floating Family – A Trilogy, Hong Kong Odyssey, Danz Up, Datong – The Chinese Utopia, The Amahs, 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 28 years, our “Young Friends” scheme has reached over 768,000 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.
HKAF actively promotes inclusiveness and understanding via the arts to every corner of the community. The “No Limits” project, co-presented with the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, was launched in 2019. Through a series of performances and diverse arts experiences for students and the community, “No Limits” strives to create an inclusive space for people with different abilities to share the joy of the arts together.
