As spring in Hong Kong comes to an end, the city’s residents are bracing up for its trademark humid, rainy, and erratic weather. While that might not sound like a prospect worth cheering for, the spate of events scheduled for May definitely do. And though some of these are regulars on the Hong Kong events calendar, others are feature events that we surely hope will graduate to returning ones.
Read on to know more about five amazing cultural, art, and live events lined up this May in Hong Kong that you absolutely cannot miss.
Le French May
Le French May returns for its 2018 edition and promises even more excitement with a line-up of over 120 programmes spread across a two month period. Offering the best of dance, theatre, visual arts and music, these programmes celebrate the relationship between Hong Kong and France through the medium of cultural exchanges and artistic connections.
An absolute dream for Francophiles in Hong Kong, the event is also for anyone and everyone harbouring even a passing interest in creativity. Among its highlights are the music journey ‘From Venice to Versailles’ and ‘The Painting on the Wall’, an enchanting retelling of Chinese folklores.
And yes, it goes without saying that no celebration of French culture is complete without its culinary delights. The Le French GourMay this year will see more than 100 restaurants showcasing the country’s finest food, wine and ingredients.
St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre
Coming to Hong Kong’s shores for the first time ever, the ballet company will be putting on a show of its acclaimed Swan Lake at the Lyric Theatre. Get ready to be blown away by the artistic and technical brilliance of some of the most gifted and hardworking dancers in the world. You might be a theatre connoisseur or the parent of an aspiring ballerina, this one of its kind performance of a classic story is guaranteed to leave you stunned.
Margaret Cho Live in Hong Kong
The comedy scene in Hong Kong is nascent but nevertheless, growing steadily. That explains the frenzy around the tremendously popular Margaret Cho who is scheduled to perform one of her most boisterous stand-up routines, ‘Fresh off the Bloat’.
Hailed for her edgy humour, Cho is an Emmy and Grammy nominated comedian of Asian-American heritage, the latter of which features prominently in her acts apart from stingingly funny takes on addiction and politics. If you are up for an evening that can make you cringe and laugh at the same time, Kowloon is where you need to be on the 13th of May at eight in the evening.
District Race
How does the idea of racing through the places to visit in Hong Kong sound to you? The District Race is a race spread over two hours where participants need to complete virtual challenges using their mobile phones and gain points in return. The only thing common for all competitors is the starting line, beyond that you can set your own route and cover whatever distance you like. A unique event that demands as much brain as brawn, the race takes you through some of the city’s most landmark and up and coming areas. District Race is going to be flagged off at seven in the morning on the 13th of May.
Affordable Art Fair
Do you love exploring exquisite art from around the world? Do you also find the idea of being amidst million dollar artworks intimidating?
Thankfully, that is exactly the conundrum the Affordable Art Fair addresses as it lends a degree of accessibility to artistic genius sourced from around the world. Most of the artwork featured here is priced $1,000 to $10,000. The central theme of the event is art and accessibility have to go hand in hand and these prices certainly reflect that. Other attractions at the event include discussions on art, music and visual performances. You could be new to appreciating art or looking to get up to speed on the local art scene, there is something for everyone at the fair. Affordable Art Fair runs from 18th to 20th May at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
That sums up five of the most eagerly awaited events in Hong Kong for May 2018. You can be a visitor to the city or a long-time resident, these events offer the easiest path to experiencing Hong Kong’s diverse and rich culture.
This Week’s India Focus
Continuing our weekly focus on Indian events in Hong Kong, the star event of the upcoming week is the Vedanta Workshop. Presided over by Swami Supriyananda, the workshop will conduct discourses on bhakti yoga. Literally meaning ‘yoga of devotion’, bhakti yoga is ideal for those who have never performed yoga before but want to get started under the watchful eyes of master practitioners. It is considered the easiest of the four yogic paths to master, karma, jnana, and raja being the other three. The workshop is going to be conducted on the 15th of May at 101 Tavistock, 10 Tregunter Path.