For four days this October, Hong Kong's performing arts scene throws its doors open to the public — for free. The Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo (HKPAX) 2026 runs 9–13 October, but a run of free public programmes from 6–9 October means anyone can drop into showcases, exhibitions and one ticketed theatre premiere across some of the city's best-loved arts venues. Here's what's on, where, and how to see it.
What is the Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo?
The Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo (HKPAX) is a biennial international showcase and networking platform for the performing arts industry, organised by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. Its second edition runs 9–13 October 2026, bringing presenters, producers and artists from around the world to Hong Kong to pitch and showcase new work.
While the core expo is a trade event for industry professionals, HKPAX 2026 opens a slice of its programme to the general public: a free public programme running 6–9 October, ahead of and overlapping with the main expo dates. That's the part worth knowing about if you're not in the industry but want a look at Hong Kong's performing arts scene up close.
Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo (HKPAX) 2026
What is City Reverie?
The expo's opening performance is City Reverie, a multidisciplinary work blending media art, live piano music and emotional-tracking technology, created by Joel Kwong, Vvzela Kook, Fung Lam and Silver Cheung. It's part of ARTS · TECH 4.0, an annual flagship initiative from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council exploring the crossover between performance and technology.
City Reverie has two showings at the Studio Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre: a public ticketed performance on Thursday 8 October, and an Opening Showcase on Friday 9 October reserved for Standard Pass holders. If you only want to see one thing from HKPAX as a member of the public, the 8 October showing is the one to book.
Is it free to attend HKPAX?
Yes, for the public programme. The free public programmes from 6–9 October don't require an Admission Pass. HKPAX's paid Admission Pass, ranging from HK$150 to HK$1,560, is aimed at industry professionals attending the trade showcases, pitching sessions and the Exchange Avenue exhibition space — a dedicated area for arts groups and institutions to present new projects, set up along the Hong Kong Cultural Centre's Victoria Harbour waterfront.
One venue worth noting on the HKPAX circuit is the East Kowloon Cultural Centre at 60 Ngau Tau Kok Road (MTR Kowloon Bay, Exit B) — one of the city's newer performing arts venues, which entered full operation in late 2025 and now regularly hosts programming across its auditorium, theatre and studio spaces.
HKPAX arrives in the middle of a packed October for Hong Kong's arts calendar. For more of the city's stages this season, see our guides to Hong Kong Ballet's new premiere Dunhuang: In Search of Light, the Hong Kong Fringe Festival, and Hong Kong's arts and culture scene.
Frequently Asked Questions
Plan your October
Free showcases, a waterfront exhibition space and one unmissable opening performance — HKPAX's public programme is a rare, no-cost look inside Hong Kong's performing arts world. Mark 6–9 October in your diary.