What’s on? Things to do this January in Hong Kong

January offers a slew of sensational things to do and see to keep you entertained – from a marathon to arts festivals to major archaeological discoveries to so much more!

Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair

As the first of its kind in Asia this year, this show is guaranteed to be a premium event and one that will have the toys and games industry buzzing. Attracting exhibitors of the highest calibre, it is an ideal opportunity to discover new products from hundreds of trendsetting market players and have some fun in the process. There will be smart-tech toys, soft toys, remote-control toys and more besides. For those in the industry, the chance to network, build up contacts and find reliable partners and direct suppliers is invaluable.

When: 8-11 Jan

Where: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai

How much: Prices vary

For more information: expopromoter.com

Hong Kong Marathon

Running a marathon is perhaps the ultimate test of one’s capabilities in endurance and sheer willpower. No wonder, then, that the annual Hong Kong race is well supported with the highest participation rate of any local sporting event. Up to 74,000 runners from across Hong Kong and overseas will begin on Nathan Road and finish 42.195 kilometres later at Victoria Park. It is a World Athletics’ Gold Label road race and this year serves as the Asian Marathon Championships, with top runners from the region invited to compete. The event also comprises a half marathon, 10km race, 10km Wheelchair Race and Wheelchair Trial.

When: 21 Jan

Where: Various venues

How much: Free viewing

For more information: hkmarathon.com

Brent Faiyaz

With nods to R&B, hip-hop and soul, American singer Brent Faiyaz is touring his much-acclaimed Wasteland album with a date in Hong Kong. The concert is expected to attract lovers of all three genres such is the magnetic appeal of the 28-year-old artist who knows how to test musical boundaries. The album featured guest turns by Tyler, the Creator, Alicia Keys and Drake, and came on the heels of an EP provocatively titled F**k the World. The set list for Faiyaz’s ‘It’s a Wasteland’ tour will surely include tracks from both recordings.

When: 30 Jan

Where: Rotunda 2, KITEK, Kowloon

How much: HK$799

For more information: cityline.com

Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo

A huge showcase for an amazing panoply of products makes a welcome return as the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong presents its 57th shopping festival of local brands. The expo always draws large crowds keen to grab a bargain or two or simply have fun from the range of activities offered in a packed entertainment programme.

When: Until 8 Jan

Where: Victoria Park, Causeway Bay

How much: HK$8

For more information: hkbpe.com.hk

Gazing at Sanxingdui

Shown for the first time in a major exhibition outside Sichuan, the recent archaeological discoveries at the Sanxingdui site near Chengdu – with almost half excavated between 2020 and 2022 – shed new light on Chinese civilisation in the upper Yangtze River valley. Featuring 120 bronze, jade, gold and pottery objects, some date back 4,500 years while a number of them are national treasures, all are testaments to the expertise of modern Chinese archaeology.

When: Until 8 Jan

Where: Gallery 8, Hong Kong Palace Museum, West Kowloon Cultural District

How much: HK$150

For more information: hkpm.org.hk

Sai Kung Hoi Arts Festival

Based in Yim Tin Tsai, this festival has grown over the years and now includes Sharp Island, Kau Sai Chau, High Island and Sai Kung town. Taking ‘Joy Again, Isle’ as its theme, it promotes the history, culture, heritage and natural environment of Sai Kung District’s scenic islands through art explorations and the healing power of the arts and nature. These local experiences can be shared.

When: Until 14 Jan

Where: Sai Kung town and islands

How much: Free

For more information: skhartsfestival.hk

teamLab Future Park

For a great immersive experience that takes the co-creation concept to the next level, this futuristic amusement park should not be missed. Located in a venue spanning more than 10,000 square feet, this is interactive fun how it should be, using art and technology to reimagine a universe co-created by the individual participant in an immersive art space. This iteration of an event that roves the region features six popular Future Park works that are bound to appeal.

When: Until 14 Jan

Where: MegaBox, Kowloon Bay

How much: Various prices

For more information: ttt-works.com

The Oyster Odyssey

For years, oyster reefs have played a vital role in the ecology and marine environment of Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta. This exhibition offers an immersive journey into the underwater world of oysters, exploring the historical significance of oyster cultivation and how the local industry developed, as well as highlighting efforts to restore “Hong Kong’s lost treasure”.

When: Until 31 Jan

Where: Hong Kong Maritime Museum, Pier 8, Star Ferry, Central

How much: HK$30

For more information: hkmaritimemuseum.org

HK2 Night Scene Bus

What better way to see the magnificent night sights of Hong Kong and Kowloon than by taking an open-top double-decker bus. The Citybus Rickshaw Sightseeing Bus is running a night service, HK2, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Tourism Board that allows passengers to hop on and off to visit more than 50 landmarks. Embracing iconic rickshaws of a bygone era, but with a driver rather than a puller at the helm, it offers a blend of the past and the present.

When: Ongoing

Where: Star Ferry, Central

How much: Night pass HK$100 (tourists HK$20).

For more information: rickshawbus.com

January Events: Highlights for Hong Kong’s upcoming month

From a long marathon that will give your 2020 an active start to shows like Kidsfest! that will entertain children – not to forget the Star Wars Return of the Jedi in Concert that will be loved among the Star Wars fans – here are the January events to look forward to in Hong Kong.

Ultra-Trail Tai Mo Shan

4-6 Jan

Billing yourself as the “toughest event to challenge the human spirit” is, frankly, no way to ensure mass-market support. As the event in question, however, requires participants to negotiate their way around a 100 miles of Hong Kong shrubland – albeit with lovely views out across the Tai Mo Shan reservoir – this is clearly not a diversion for anyone less than 100% committed. While there are almost certainly worse ways to spend the first weekend of the New Year, none immediately spring to mind.

Star Wars Return of the Jedi in Concert

4-5 Jan

There’s a degree of misrepresentation going on here. This is not a musical take on the third slice of the original Star Wars trilogy. There’s no Darth Vader and a bunch of stormtroopers rocking it with “Sithadeedooa Sithadeehey, come and join the dark side, it’s really okay…” There is, however, a live performance on of the original movie score by the Hong Kong Philharmonic, a big screen showing the film and, most importantly, no vertical surfaces you’ll be expected to shin up before you’re allowed to go home. Sounds like a win-win to us…

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

Hong Kong Toys and Games Fair

6-9 Jan

While many of us may well be toyed-out after the Christmas season, with the sight of one more replica light sabre likely to bring on palpitations and the sound of Buzz Lightyear endlessly outlining his pan-galactic aspirations set to put you in a fugue state, for some hardy souls it’s already time to find out what’s likely to be under the 2020 yuletide tree. If you want a sneak peak, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is the place to be over the four days it hosts Asia’s biggest toys and games expo. Play nicely.

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai, Hong Kong (Harbour Road Entrance).

Hong Kong Open (Golf Tournament)

9-12 Jan

Considered as a must-attend event for all the golf aficionados, the Hong Kong Open (Golf Tournament) Is one of the city’s most popular sporting events. The event holds a history of nearly six decades and boasts a line of prominent winners over the past years. This year, in addition to the competition, there will also be complimentary golf lessons. Moreover, the organisers are putting up activities like face painting and magic shows to entertain children thus allowing the adults to enjoy the game to the fullest.

The Hong Kong Golf Club, Fanling

Company Wayne McGregor – Autobiography

10-12 Jan

Join award-winning British choreographer Wayne McGregor and his company, Company Wayne McGregor, in an odyssey through the life story of the renowned dance arranger and his chums, all told through the medium of chromosome imagery and “a genre-defying soundscape.” According to the promotional bumf: “Each performance unfolds uniquely, with the arrangement of the 23 self-contained choreographic chapters assembled randomly according to a computer-generated algorithm”. Look, I’m going to be honest with you here – there’s probably still time to book in for the 100-mile hike featured above and the New Star Wars (see below) is certain to be still showing somewhere…

The Box, Freespace.

Leisure and Pleasure: Can’t-miss January events in Hong Kong

With the Christmas festivities behind us, it’s time to look forward to the start of a brand new year, and Hong Kong offers plenty of options to ring in 2019. From the International Dragon and Lion Dance Festival and Mickey’s Super Celebration to Abba’s musical hit, Mamma Mia!, and the HKTDC Hong Kong Toys and Games Fair, these are the can’t-miss January events heating up the SAR’s calendar next month.

International Dragon and Lion Dance Festival – 1 Jan
It’s impossible to be lonely over New Year in Hong Kong when the streets are bustling with over a 1,000 dragons, lions, lucky fish and smiling Buddhas, all intent on sharing seasonal greetings. Indeed, visitors from across the world descend on the city at this time of the year, sure in the knowledge that there is no locale more auspicious for marking the onset of a new 12-month cycle. And the good news is that you won’t even have to track down the festivities, with this being one celebration that is so utterly ubiquitous it is sure to seek you out wherever you reside.
Locations vary.

HKTDC Hong Kong Toys and Games Fair – 7-10 Jan
If your kids have been left unimpressed by Santa’s 2018 selection, don’t worry – HKTDC Hong Kong Toys and Games Fair, Asia’s premier event for tiny tot diversions – returns to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre early in the New Year. Even those lacking a little’un to entertain could do worse than pop along and peruse the show’s growing selection of ‘kidult’ grown-up(ish) leisure aids.
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai. HK$100.

Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail Race – 19 Jan
Once again, keen athletes from across the world are set to converge on Pak Tam Chung in order to participate in one of the toughest trail races of the year. A true test of endurance, this is not for the faint-hearted, with the grueling route taking in some of Hong Kong’s most treacherous territories, as well as its most picturesque beaches and verdant forests. While most will fall by the wayside, those with true endurance will make it through to the home stretch – a rapid descent from Tai Mo Shan, the SAR’s highest peak, with a warm welcome, foil blankets and state-of-the-art defibrillators awaiting those who stagger across the finish line.
Race start line: Pak Tam Chung, Tsuen Wan.

Mamma Mia! – 16-27 Jan
Due to unprecedented demand, the international smash-hit Abba tribute musical is extending its stay in Hong Kong. With Lunchbox Theatrical Productions again calling the shots, this hilarious, emotional, uproarious tale of secrets, marriages and misdemeanors never fails to stir entranced audiences into literally singing and dancing in the aisles. With a soundtrack that includes Waterloo, Dancing Queen and the title track, it’s like the ’70s never quite stopped.
Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, 1 Gloucester Rd, Wan Chai. HK$395-995.

Beare’s Music Festival – 16-24 Jan
Looking to suitably mark the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Beare’s Premiere Music Festival (formerly the Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival), artistic director Cho Liang-lin is promising a truly epic audio extravaganza. In total, 22 musicians will be performing at five concerts in a number of different venues, including the prestigious Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall and the JC Cube, part of the newly-opened Tai Kwun Cultural Centre in Central. However you like your classical music, there’s sure to be something to get your toes tapping.
Locations vary. HK$189–980.

Pole Theatre – 20 Jan
Pole dancing has, apparently, come a long way from being solely the refuge of dirty old men and desperate young women. Now celebrated for being both healthy and empowering, it is – so rumour has it – being considered as a future Olympic event. Prior to it being elevated to that exclusive pantheon, however, you can judge its artistic merits for yourself when the Pole Theatre competition shimmies its way into town, offering daringly-flexible dancers of either gender the opportunity to prove that the discipline can be every bit as athletic as it is supposedly erotic.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Amphitheatre, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Wan Chai. HK$210–490. (Suitable for over-18s only)

Tai Po RFC Mini Festival – 20 Jan
Hong Kong Rugby Union is looking to its legacy, with its many supporters keen to ensure that the city’s love of the sport endures into the next generation and well beyond. With this in mind, a grand tournament for six- to 11-year-old rugby aficionados will kick off on the 20th, with teams of various ages competing against one another to see who will emerge as the stars of tomorrow. As befitting such protégés, all the games will be held in professional stadiums, with top-flight professionals on hand to coach the aspiring sports stars. Why not come along then and see many of the HK Seven headliners of tomorrow, while they are still only knee-high?
King’s Park Sports Ground, Tai Po.

Disney on Ice presents: Mickey’s Super Celebration – 24-27 Jan
From Minnie Mouse to Moana and Maui, from Fantasia to Frozen, everyone seemingly has a favourite Disney moment. Except, sadly, for Mickey Mouse, Disney’s most iconic ambassador. Join him and his band of chums, however, as he attempts to uncover his own most magical memory from the cartoon kingdom’s rich back story – on ice. With flawless choreography and awe-inspiring musical numbers promised, you’d better get your skates on before the best tickets are all sold out.
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai. HK$280-880.

Hong Kong Philharmonic x Anthony Lun: The Man Behind the Piano Concert – 25-26 Jan
After a lengthy absence of some 14 years, Anthony Lun, the CASH Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award winner, is reuniting with the Hong Kong Philharmonic in order to deliver a truly mesmerizing take on the best of his back catalogue. For this performance, Lun – a renowned composer, singer and pianist – will be joined by several special guests, including Elisa Chan, Kay Tse and Leung Chiu Fung, who will all lend their vocal talents to peerless renderings of the songs and tunes that have a special place in the heart of so many.
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, Tsim Sha Tsui. HK$280–680.