The best things to do in Hong Kong this week (May 18-24)

Festival Walk has teamed up with homegrown label Kyubi and the official Michael Jackson estate for a stylish pop-up that pays tribute to the forever King of Pop. Fans can explore an impressive display of MJ memorabilia – including old records, magazine covers, books, and stage photos – and snap pics by a giant vinyl-themed installation. To take a piece of the magic home, nearly 20 limited-edition fashion items are making their Asia debut, ranging from an exquisitely crafted cardigan and embroidery art crewneck in the King of Pop series to vintage tees, hoodies, and bomber jackets inspired by hits like Billie Jean, Thriller, and Smooth Criminal. The store is only sticking around until May 29, so don’t miss out.

After its successful debut last year, the first-ever Cantonese production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, presented by WestK Performing Arts and Motion 27, is returning to Freespace from May 15 to 31. This year’s run features 13 exclusive shows, with four additional performances added in response to overwhelming audience demand. Like the original Broadway classic – beloved for its unique drag artistry, raw rock score, and emotional queer storytelling – its Cantonese counterpart preserves its essence and energy while fusing local pop cultural elements.

Hongkongers can catch creative director Ivanhoe Lam’s adaptation of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which sees outstanding actor Jordan Cheng as the musical’s eponymous protagonist, who also undertook the translation of the script and lyrics. This year’s rerun further welcomes Cantopop singer-songwriter J.Arie, who joins the cast as Hedwig’s husband, Yitzhak. Before each performance, a DJ set will get the crowd hyped for the show’s boundary-breaking rock-and-roll energy. After the curtain falls, ticketholders are invited to join exclusive electronic music parties, where classic hits, Cantopop favourites, and pulsating dance tracks keep the fun going late into the night. 

Tickets range from $588 to $988 across three zones. Superfans shouldn’t miss the opportunity to snatch Sugar Parent Plus tickets, which include an intimate meet-and-greet with Hedwig herself!

Hong Kong bakery and confectionery manufacturer Garden is approaching its 100th anniversary at the end of this year, and they’ve launched a pop-up exhibition and store, adorably designed like a tour through its factory. From refreshed versions of nostalgic snacks and culinary experiences to collaborations with local streetwear brands, the ‘Every Bites Tells a Story’ event is a love letter to the iconic food brand that has literally fed and nurtured generations of Hongkongers.

Find clothing and accessories created with Grocery and Aim Higher Club featuring retro patterns and motifs from Garden’s archives from the 50s to 80s; exclusive chocolate finger snacks and Cantonese dishes reimagined into savoury buns; memorabilia from the confectioner’s century-old history; and a series of cute plushie keychains shaped like Garden’s bestsellers. This is a trip down memory lane that will make you hungry.

To mark 85 years since Bruce Lee’s return to Hong Kong, this special exhibition brings the martial arts icon back to the very site of his childhood home in Jordan. The centrepiece of the showcase is ‘Be Like Water’, a new 1:1 scale permanent sculpture that captures Lee in a moment of philosophical stillness. Visitors can explore a dedicated gallery space, featuring a curated treasure trove of rare posters and previously unreleased private photographs that offer an intimate glimpse into his early life in Kowloon. Located at the Prudential Centre – the former site where Lee lived as a boy – this exhibition is free to enter and will remain open to the public daily until May 31.

Catch the ultimate golden hour experience at K11 Musea as its sixth-floor Sculpture Park transforms into Sips by the Sea, an open-air sky bar overlooking Victoria Harbour. Running from May 16 to 31 on Fridays, weekends, and public holidays, this breezy pop-up brings together a crew of veterans from Asia’s 50 Best Bars to serve a stellar lineup of exclusive cocktails designed to mirror the changing colours of the sunset.

Guests can sip on bespoke creations from Bangkok's legendary Opium Bar, Seoul’s whimsical speakeasy Alice Cheongdam, as well as beloved local bars Tell Camellia and Socio. It all wraps up on June 6 with a massive closing party featuring live DJ sets and even more names from Asia’s 50 Best Bars, including Kyoto’s Bee’s Knees, CMYK from Changsha, and The Old Man Hong Kong. Admission to the Sculpture Park is completely free, with dedicated bar seating reserved for those purchasing drinks.

For the first time, HKU’s University Museum and Art Gallery is pairing Swiss and Chinese paper cuttings together, setting up side by side to highlight what makes each tradition so special. The Swiss works, drawn from the collection of Interlaken collectors Elsbeth and Niklaus Wyss, mostly use black paper to capture slices of Alpine life with fine, eye-catching details. On the Chinese side, red paper is often used to depict different themes and subjects like tigers, peacocks, opera masks, or pagodas – each carrying deep symbolic meanings. Both approaches are all about storytelling, pulling from Swiss village scenes or Chinese folklore to offer the audience a chance to appreciate how two cultures turn the same craft into something uniquely their own.

Pakistani-American artist Shahzia Sikander presents her latest commissioned work at M+ Façade, exploring the historical traces of power and trade and their entanglement through a cinematic tableau of hand-painted animations. ‘3 to 12 Nautical Miles’ follows the maritime trail that linked the British East India Company, Mughal-era India, and Qing-dynasty China, examining the connections between empires and complex dynamics.

Sikander’s practice brings the art of miniature painting to the big screen, allowing the medium to communicate to audiences on a different scale. Painted gestures, objects, and symbols are magnified through animation, revealing the nuanced history of the region. On March 26, the artist herself will lead a free illustrated lecture about the artwork at 5pm.

Celebrate the season with a big splash at Water World Ocean Park’s First Hon Summer event, running from May 16 to June 30. Visitors are invited to don specially designed graduation gowns for unique snaps at the Reef Lobby or capture a swimsuit graduation shot against the colourful backdrop of the famous Rainbow Rush slide. On May 16 and 17, those who bring their own gowns and tag the park on Instagram can even snag a free gift! Between photo sessions, visitors can also catch pro instructors shredding the waves at Surf Striker every weekend throughout May and June, or head to the Jumbo Game Zone to challenge friends to super-sized versions of Jenga, Chess, Connect Four, and Tetris.

For details on various reopening deals and ticket offers, head over to the official Water World website for more.

M+ in West Kowloon Cultural District is honouring the late Ryuichi Sakamoto with a museum-wide programme from now until July. Comprising a site-specific installation, moving image works, a listening experience, and film, ‘Seeing Sound, Hearing Time’ celebrates the enduring legacy of the Japanese composer, producer, and artist.

‘Async–Immersion’ presents a three-dimensional, audio-visual representation of Sakamoto’s personal album, combining sonic experience with optical immersion. Nam June Paik’s ‘All Star Video’ explores Sakamoto’s influences and creative encounters, while ‘Vinyl Sessions with Music by Ryuichi Sakamoto’ allows visitors to engage with his compositions, alongside reflections on his work from three Hong Kong-based sound artists. Additionally, ‘Ryuichi Sakamoto: Music in Film’ will screen two films to allow for an intimate look into Sakamoto’s life, profound artistry, and innovative creative process.

Taiwanese lifestyle platform Everyday Object is making its overseas debut in Hong Kong with a curated three-month pop-up at East Hong Kong’s Domain (1/F). Running from now to July 31, the residency showcases a collection of over 60 independent brands from both Taipei and Hong Kong, with each month dedicated to a specific theme: travel in May, office life in June, and the home in July. Visitors can browse an array of niche design goods, ranging from vegan skincare to handcrafted accessories and even yuenyeung-flavoured canned cheesecakes.

There’ll also be a limited-time coffee takeover by Taichung-based Sumugaga Coffee Roasters, where you can download the Scannow app to get a five percent discount on a special Taichung pourover and unlock a digital map of the city’s best-kept creative secrets. Whether you are hunting for rare Taiwanese accessories or simply looking for a fresh shot of caffeine and inspiration, this three-month pop-up has everything under one roof.

This spring, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum is hosting a two-part exhibition that combines interactive multimedia with a collection of rare historical treasures. The first section, Meet Mona Lisa, uses an immersive multimedia installation to follow the five-hundred-year journey of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, featuring a personal narration from the lady herself. The second half, Portraying the Renaissance, showcases over 100 precious works from leading European institutions, including four of da Vinci’s original manuscripts on the human body and faces exhibited in Hong Kong for the first time.

The exhibition runs from May 1 to July 27, 2026, and is completely free to enter from 10am to 6pm on weekdays (except Tuesdays) and until 7pm on weekends and public holidays.

Step into a world where imperial grandeur meets Impressionist beauty at ‘Blooming: The Art of Gardens in East and West, a massive new showcase at the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Bringing together more than 100 sets of rare artefacts and paintings from the Palace Museum in Beijing, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Palace of Versailles, the exhibition explores how nature has been shaped and celebrated by kings, scholars, and artists alike.

The real highlight is the arrival of Claude Monet’s iconic Water Lilies (1906) and Water Lily Pond (1900), which are on loan from Chicago for a limited time. Alongside works by masters like Zhang Daqian and Wen Zhengming, visitors can wander through an immersive display and interact with virtual wine cups in a digital recreation of the famous Orchid Pavilion Gathering. Running until July 29 at HKMoA’s Special Gallery, the exhibition is completely free to enter – so there’s really no excuse not to visit.

Taiwanese lifestyle platform Everyday Object is making its overseas debut in Hong Kong with a curated three-month pop-up at East Hong Kong’s Domain (1/F). Running from now to July 31, the residency showcases a collection of over 60 independent brands from both Taipei and Hong Kong, with each month dedicated to a specific theme: travel in May, office life in June, and the home in July. Visitors can browse an array of niche design goods, ranging from vegan skincare to handcrafted accessories and even yuenyeung-flavoured canned cheesecakes.

There’ll also be a limited-time coffee takeover by Taichung-based Sumugaga Coffee Roasters, where you can download the Scannow app to get a five percent discount on a special Taichung pourover and unlock a digital map of the city’s best-kept creative secrets. Whether you are hunting for rare Taiwanese accessories or simply looking for a fresh shot of caffeine and inspiration, this three-month pop-up has everything under one roof.

Curated by architectural historian Charles Lai and product designer Kay Chan Wan Ki, this exhibition brings together architects, carpenters, filmmakers, and chefs to examine Hong Kong’s favourite diners from every angle. Highlights include the preserved neon sign of Wan Chai’s Sun Fung Kee, the original door of Sheung Wan’s demolished Hoi On Cafe, and a full-scale beverage station where you can suit up and try assembling orders at cha chaan teng speed.

The exhibition is now on view at Airside’s Gate33 Gallery and runs until July 31. Admission is free until March 31, after which tickets cost $20 (except for kids aged three and under).

Lane Crawford continues its celebration of exquisite craftsmanship with ‘HUNDRED – A Curation of Ceramics by 50 Hands’. Building on the success of the previous ‘HUNDRED’ series from 2023, which focused on chairs, this ceramics edition showcases the collaborative curation efforts of American ceramics expert Robert Yellin and local artist Leo Wong. 

Open to visitors at Lane Crawford Pacific Place, the shoppable exhibition features 100 handcrafted ceramic pieces from 29 artists, showcasing timeless artistry through 21 ceramic techniques, including neriage, kinrade, inlay, shigaraki-yaki, and more. Don’t miss highlight pieces such as the Tanba Vase, the Vase Celadon, and the White Drip Glaze Vase, each one a collector’s item that preserves skills passed down through generations.

M+ and Leeum Museum of Art are teaming up to present a comprehensive exhibition featuring the groundbreaking works of influential South Korean contemporary artist Lee Bul. More than 200 pieces will be shown, spanning the artist’s career from the late 1990s to the present to trace the evolution of Lee’s artistic approach. Split into three sections, ‘Lee Bul: From 1998 to Now’ interrogates ideas of utopian and dystopian existence, the relationship between body and technology, and Lee’s creative process.

M+ Cinema will also screen a number of Lee’s performance works during the exhibition period. ‘Lee Bul: From 1998 to Now’ opens on March 14 and will be commemorated with a talk at the Grand Stair; Lee herself will be present to speak about her artistic vision.

Tucked inside Oi! Glassie, Hong Kong artist Chan Wai‑lap presents Jeremy’s Bathhouse – a dreamy, ceramic bathhouse as an extension of his ongoing ‘Swimming’ series. Inspired by love, connection, different bathing cultures, and the 2016 viral story of Jeremy, the left-spiral snail, the exhibition features a heart-shaped pool installation made with more than 1,200 handcrafted ceramic tiles designed by Chan.

Visitors will also find a set of shower cubicles lined with casts of real soap bars that Chan has collected from bathhouses around the world, and every so often, timed release of mist drifts through, softening the edges and shifting the whole atmosphere from crisp clarity to a dreamy haze.

In a landmark collaboration between the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) of Egypt, 250 treasures and relics from the land of the Pharaohs will be on display in Hong Kong for nine and a half months. Named ‘Ancient Egypt Unveiled’, this exhibition is the largest, most comprehensive, and longest-running display of ancient Egyptian artefacts Hong Kong has ever seen, displaying archaeological finds loaned straight from Egypt, many of which are being shown outside of their home country for the very first time.

Some of our favourite highlights include a set of canopic jars used to store internal organs in the mummification and burial process; statues of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut and Rameses II; painted coffins of wood and stone; a Book of the Dead papyrus scroll; and even an ancient Egyptian toilet seat.

Swing by the gift shop to find a wide range of Egypt-related merch, including an adorable series of blind box plushies created by HKPM which depict pharaohs, canopic jars, mummies, and more.

Immerse yourself in the forgotten days of the Kowloon Walled City at this epic movie set exhibition, located on the original site of the infamous Kowloon Walled City. Featuring incredibly detailed recreations of shops and other setups from the award-winning Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, the exhibition will let visitors travel back in time to the Walled City in the 1980s.

From the local cafe to the dental clinic, the attention to detail is truly impressive. There's even a small 'screen room' mimicking the rooftops of old buildings back in the day, where visitors can sit and watch the neighbourhood turn from day to night, and listen to the roaring sound of low-flying airplanes over the Walled City area.

Check out our guide for everything you need to know about the exhibition, from dates and opening hours to highlights not to be missed.

The stylish restaurant and bar Felix on the top floor of The Peninsula Hong Kong hotel has launched a brand-new event series that focuses on DJs spinning tunes on vinyl records. Every Thursday, from 8pm to 11pm, a rotation of highly respectable DJs such as Brahms, Roy Malig, Johnny Hiller, and NeeNo will spotlight their own distinctive styles with curated playlists of both mellow tracks and upbeat grooves. This is a great opportunity to experience some deep cuts from each DJ’s extensive record collections, with genres ranging from soul and jazz to Mediterranean Balearic and funk.

There are also special drinks and snacks that take inspiration from the 80s and 90s to go with the tunes. See details about this weekly music series at The Peninsula here. 

Focusing on non-solid media, multi-disciplinary artist Zheng Jing’s first solo show in Hong Kong uses water, sound, air, and light to transform several warehouses into a surreal world that invites viewers to wander through.

In Warehouse 1, visitors will feel as though they are submerged beneath Victoria Harbour, with mirrored installations that let you look up at wave movements through the manipulation of light. There’s also a giant vessel featuring a video projection of a human figure endlessly diving, plus a suspended cube from which light beams are projected outward in multiple directions. Stepping out onto the lawn, visitors will also discover five golden sculptures modelled after Taihu stones, placed in an elemental cycle of ‘breathing’ to allow energy and spirits to flow through continuously.

The golden age of Hong Kong cinema saw the production of blockbuster titles like A Better Tomorrow (1986), The Conman (1998), and Infernal Affairs (2002). Packed with action, suspense, and good ol’ “nonsense” humour, these iconic crime films not only offer gripping stories but also capture the essence of life in 70s and 80s Hong Kong. Now, cinephiles can relive their favourite scenes from these classics at the Old Yau Ma Tei Police Station. ‘Yau Ma Tei Police Station: A Cinematic Journey’ delves into local cop film classics through reconstructed sets, collectibles, original scripts, and much more. 

This nostalgic exhibition is now open at the Old Yau Ma Tei Police Station, 627 Canton Road, Yau Ma Tei. Tickets are priced at $30 per person, with concessionary tickets available at $10 per person. Children aged six or below can enter the exhibition for free. Make sure to book your tickets online at cultural.cityline.com, as there will not be tickets onsite. Find out more at fpf.ccidahk.gov.hk. 

‘The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: The Art Plaza Project at the Hong Kong Palace Museum’ is a multimedia initiative that takes traditional Chinese garden aesthetics as the main inspiration. The project features large installations by five local artists and an architect, each creative bringing a unique contemporary interpretation of traditional zen garden elements to the showcase, where iconic pavilions, flowing water, and aesthetic rock formations are reimagined with materials found in our bustling city, such as bamboo, metal, and fabric. 

This exhibition will be open to the public until November 2, 2026 at the Museum Plaza at the Hong Kong Palace Museum. Entry is free of charge during the museum’s opening hours. 

The Hong Kong Space Museum has launched a new 3D dome show catered to little Einsteins and space-loving adults. ‘The Great Solar System Adventure 3D’ replaces their previous programme exploring the Arctic wilderness with an immersive, interstellar voyage.

The show will run until October 14, 2026, with screening times at 2pm and 6.30pm on weekdays, 12.30pm and 5pm on weekends and public holidays at the Space Theatre. Tickets are priced from $15 to $40 per person.