Latest news with #FrenchMayArtsFestival
HKFP
10 hours ago
- Business
- HKFP
Hong Kong visitor arrivals up 20% in May, thanks to China's Golden Week holiday, large-scale events
Hong Kong logged 4.08 million visitor arrivals in May, a 20 per cent year-on-year increase, thanks to China's Golden Week holiday and large-scale events that attracted regional tourists, the city's tourism board has said. Citing provisional data, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said on Monday that more than 20 million tourists from around the world visited the city in the first five months of this year – a 12 per cent increase from the same period last year. Visitors from mainland China continued to account for the largest number of arrivals in May, totalling 3.12 million – a 19 per cent year-on-year increase. Non-mainland Chinese visitors rose by 24 per cent in May to over 955,000 people. In the first five months of this year, over 15 million mainland Chinese visitors came to Hong Kong, a 10 per cent increase from the same period last year. Meanwhile, visitors from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and the Philippines surged by more than 25 per cent year on year over the same period, while Australian visitors increased by over 35 per cent, according to the HKTB. Hong Kong held major cultural events in May, such as the iconic Cheung Chau Bun Festival, the French May Arts Festival, and a special Picasso art exhibition at the M+ museum, as well as meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions (MICE) events, the HKTB said. The Picasso exhibition, the opening programme of the French May festival, will run until July 13. During the Golden Week holiday, which ran from May 1 to 5, Hong Kong welcomed about 1.1 million visitors – a 22 per cent increase from last year, said Chief Executive John Lee. Hong Kong faces an uphill battle to lure tourists to the city after the city lifted all anti-pandemic travel curbs in early 2023. The provisional arrival figure for May this year still lagged behind that of May 2019, when nearly six million people travelled to the city. During his budget speech in February, financial chief Paul Chan said that the government would allocate over HK$1.23 billion to the HKTB to attract 'high-end visitors' from the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Time Out
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
French Impressionism inspired this surreal, dream-like parade in Tai Kwun
As part of the French May Arts Festival, Tai Kwun is bringing a touch of European splendour to the heart of Hong Kong. Over the course of several evenings, head to the main Parade Ground inside the heritage compound of Tai Kwun to see dreamy performances and sumptuous costumes inspired by the Impressionist artworks of Renoir and Degas. The street parade-like Le Bal is produced by Remue Ménage, a company specialising in visual arts, circus, dance, and puppetry, under the command of founder and artistic director Loic Delacroix, who has worked as a professional circus artist himself – so if there's a group that knows about putting on a transportative performance, it is this one. Featuring lampshade-like costumes that light up, horse-drawn carriages, stilt-walkers, mysterious dancers, and circus performers, Le Bal transports visitors back to the late 1800s' elegance of La Belle Époque. This era in French and European history was characterised by enlightenment, romanticism, and cultural innovation when the arts, literature, music, and theatre all flourished – and this special performance is a surreal and sublime tribute to French beauty. Entrance to Le Bal is free, so make your way to Tai Kwun from now to 18, where the street performance will take over the main courtyard between 6pm to 6.30pm, followed by 7.30pm to 8pm.
