The best things to do in Hong Kong today

Hong Kong’s annual winter celebration returns to Central Harbourfront this December, paying tribute to Hong Kong’s cultural heritage with performances from local talents, local cuisine, and photo ops inspired by the city’s beloved landmarks and neighbourhoods. As always, thrilling rides, carnival games, and limited-edition prizes at over 30 different attractions await you, as well as Gandeys Circus’ brand-new winter-themed show, “The Winter World Circus,” a new act that adds a delightfully frozen flair to Gandeys’ signature choreo numbers and acrobatics.  AIA Carnival will take place at Central Harbourfront from December 22, 2025 to March 1, 2026.

‘Luminous Neon’ is a new exhibition at the DX Design Hub in Sham Shui Po that shares the radiant world of neon signage and the beauty of the traditional art form with visitors for a dose of nostalgia and collective reminiscing. Presented by the Hong Kong Design Centre, Serious Staging, and Tetra Neon Exchange, ‘Luminous Neon’ brings together a collection of painstakingly restored neon signs and new creations, creating a visual dialogue between traditional craftsmanship and modern creativity.  Endlessly photographable but balanced with educational and informative elements, the exhibition contrasts the different generational approaches to neon art and its legacy as an enduring cultural symbol of Hong Kong. Check out the historic ‘Golden Phoenix Restaurant’ and legendary ‘Tai Ping Koon Restaurant’ signs that once illuminated two of the city’s most prominent soy sauce western establishments, the ‘Nam Cheong Pawn Shop’ with its unique silhouette, and the Ray-Ban-shaped ‘Tai Cheong Eyeglasses’ sign, and more, all of which highlight the hard-earned skills of neon masters.

Louis Vuitton is celebrating its store expansion at Lee Gardens One with a limited-time bar pop-up, partnering with none other than the World’s Best Bar of 2025, Bar Leone. From now until March 15, the Bar Leone x Louis Vuitton pop-up bar will serve new cocktails, mocktails, and food created specifically for the collaboration, taking inspiration from the iconic Yum Sing Bar at the historic Lee Gardens Hotel. Bar Leone-made drinks such as the Kir Royal with Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, raspberry cordial, and violet; the gin-based Lee Gardens Special with moutai, elderflower, cucumber cordial, and soda; and the Yum Sing Café, featuring coffee, salted cream, and cardamom. Paris With a View offers a non-alcoholic experience of grapefruit and raspberry flavours, while the Bar Leone signature, Masa Margarita, combines toasted corn-infused tequila, sloe gin, and lime cordial. There are also three food sets available, loaded up with caviar, Balik salmon, lobster, foie gras, and more indulgences to pair perfectly with the cocktails without weighing the stomach down. Read more details about the pop-up and how to book.

One of the highlights of our Arts Month in March is the long-standing Hong Kong Arts Festival, now back for its 54th edition. Running from February 27 to March 27, the 54th Hong Kong Arts Festival will gather more than 1,100 performers, musicians, and artists to present more than 45 distinct programmes in a packed schedule of over 170 performances. Not to be missed is the Kagami by Ryuichi Sakamoto & Tin Drum mixed-reality performance honouring the late Japanese composer; legendary Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s performance with the Constellation Choir & Orchestra for two nights only; the Asia premiere of La Bella Otero by the Ballet Nacional de España; Canadian troupe The 7 Fingers (Les 7 Doigts) presenting Duel Reality, a blend of contemporary circus antics, theatre arts, and Shakespearean romance and drama, and more.  Here’s a more detailed guide to this year’s Hong Kong Arts Festival.

Hong Kong street artist Lousy, best known for his bold graphics resembling glyphs and pictorial shapes, is collaborating with viral food photographer-artist David Leung – also known as Davidgoodtime, who specialises in capturing reflected food images highlighting pareidolia – for a dynamic exhibition about dim sum and the ritual of yum cha.  See photographs depicting beloved dim sum dishes in Leung’s signature mirrored style, mounted inside bamboo steamers crafted by master artisan Lui Ming of Ming Sang Steel Bamboo Receptacle; a customised dim sum trolley; Leung’s first foray into canvas work inspired by the Chinese deities Fu Lu Shou; plenty of Lousy’s signature drawings done on old dim sum order sheets; and more treats. See if you can snag the special collab bottles of soy sauce and chilli sauce as well – only super limited numbers available and perfect for pairing with your weekend yum cha sesh!

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.

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. 

Chiikawa and friends are returning to town as baby versions of themselves! From January 23 to March 2, Niko-Niko Lifestyle Store in Mong Kok’s MOKO shopping mall is hosting the Chiikawa Baby Hong Kong pop-up store, giving local fans a chance to enter the world of Chiikawa Baby for photo opportunities, pick up licensed merchandise and new releases, and immerse themselves in the official pop-up store experience.  At the 2,000-sq-ft pop-up, you can get your hands on the new Chiikawa Baby Series 2 merchandise, featuring baby Chiikawa, baby Usagi, baby Hachiware, and more. From the Chiikawa Baby Crawling Baby Plushies and Chiikawa Baby Mini Bibs to dress up the dolls to the Chiikawa Baby Star Mascot, Chiikawa Baby Swaddle Plushies, Chiikawa Baby Quilted Tote Bags, and more, there’s so much to choose from that fans of these cute critters will probably get dizzy from whipping their heads around too much. During the first week of the limited-time pop-up, there’s a reservation system in place, which opens on January 15 at 11am for visits between January 23 and 29. If you miss the opportunity to reserve a spot, be prepared to wait until January 30 to swing by.

In celebration of Lunar New Year, The Pizza Project is launching a limited-time Sichuan Collection menu comprising three special items that combine Italian cuisine with Chinese flavours in the most eccentric of ways. Sichuan pepper, with its love-it-or-hate-it mala numbing qualities, will be the star of the show, alongside other fiery ingredients.  Available only from February 1 to 28 to ring in the Year of the Fire Horse, The Pizza Project’s festive Sichuan Collection includes the mapo pizza ($130) which is sans tofu but does come stacked with moreish pork mince, fior di latte, mapo sauce, garlic, dried chilli, and Sichuan pepper, resulting in a pie packed with rich flavour and numbing heat. Similarly, the Chinese Diavola ($130) merges savoury and spicy spianata – a cured Italian salami from Calabria aged with hot chilli peppers and paprika – with umami XO sauce, bold Sichuan spices and pepper, and chilli garlic for a novel Italian-Chinese fusion that keeps taste buds fired up. If you are still in the game for even more spice, their unusual Sichuan ice cream blends fior di latte with Sichuan herbs and pepper to create an icy-hot experience, bolstered by a crown of crunchy peperone crusco (aromatic fried peppers from Italy’s Basilicata region) and a drizzled topping of cherry tomato jam.

A good dose of laughter is a great remedy for the stressors of hectic urban life, which is why comedic comics have been so well-received since they appeared in Hong Kong in the early 20th century. By the 1950s, local comics truly began to take off, giving rise to iconic characters like Old Master Q, My Boy, and Sau Sing Chai. Visitors can see beloved comic works spanning from the 50s to modern-day characters used in our everyday group chat stickers.