One of our favourite parts of the Sheung Wan, Sai Ying Pun, and Kennedy Town neighbourhoods is that its older streets are decorated with modern touches of creativity like murals and graffiti. Much of this is thanks to HKwalls, Hong Kong’s leading street art festival, which is back again to jazz up the Central and Western districts with mural works and more from global artists.
PMQ will headquarter the festival, hosting exhibitions, workshops, guided tours, and more. Head out to the back of the compound to find a large-scale installation on its Staunton Street façade named Indigo Memories – a tribute made up of four portraits of former PMQ residents (back when it used to be the living quarters for police and their families) and current long-term tenants. This piece is by French artist Hopare, also known as Alexandre Monteiro, and those familiar with his work will recognise his oft-used floral motifs.
This year’s participating artists come from Hong Kong, mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and several European countries. Aside from street art, studio artwork will be displayed, ranging from original canvas paintings and sculptures, to prints and other collectibles. Look out for installations and experiences by some of these artists in PMQ’s main courtyard, such as live painting sessions and a giant eight-by-eight-metre board game inspired by the vintage Chinese Happy Chess.
Since 2025 marks HKwalls’ 10th anniversary, the art collective is also debuting a new initiative called HKwalls Rooms, which offers the platform and space for 10 independent artists and galleries to create accessible art experiences. Roam around PMQ to find thought-provoking initiatives like The Jaunt, a residency sending artists to uncharted global destinations to create art; artist Reinier Landwehr who creates kaleidoscopic worlds filled with nightmares and dreams; Hong Kong’s own KC Wong, the artist and cultural provocateur behind Sick Sick Creation and ARTube; Yeah!Nah! gallery, which allows visitors to take the role of art curators; and more.
HKwalls will run from March 22 to 30, with most experiences inside PMQ. The completed murals will then be free for the public to view around Hong Kong, but since the walls all belong to individual owners, there’s no telling how long the artwork will be up for – so get out there and start hunting down these pieces now!
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