Best things to see and do in Hong Kong this July

From now until August 1, Lee Gardens is hosting its very own coffee festival featuring 10 of Hong Kong’s most popular cafes and roasters, including Noc Coffee Co., Sofe Coffee, TIL – Today is Long, Cupping Room Coffee Roasters, Sonne CAD, Sensory Zero and more.

At the festival, coffeeholics will be able to get their hands on a wide selection of coffee beans, single-origin curations, as well as professional coffee tools and gadgets from around the world. There will also be a special Roastery Truck running live demonstrations to show you how to prepare quality coffee at home!

What's more, coffee enthusiasts can enrol in a series of Coffee Master Workshops – conducted by professional baristas in town – and learn everything from the basics of coffee cupping procedures to the tricks behind mastering siphon coffee brewing methods. Click here to find out more about each workshop and how to register.

Don't forget to sign up to be a Lee Gardens Club member and redeem a pack of roasted coffee beans upon same-day spending of over $300 at the market (while stock lasts), and make use of the Lee Gardens Coffee Pass sold at an exclusive price of $199 (original price: $400) to enjoy special coffee beverages at nine selected coffee shops and restaurants in Lee Gardens (for takeaway only).

Life can sometimes be a bit of a bummer, so, to make things a little less gloomy and a whole lot more colourful, Cityplaza has put together four large-scale art installations for Hongkongers to interact with and experience.

Walk through a rainbow-like entrance with strips of colourful, flowy silk fabric, hanging from above. You can then activate the Happiness Whirlwind installation by standing on a sensor that is on the ground nearby, and a large fan will send colourful strips flying to blow your troubles away. The wind gets stronger with each sensor activated, so the more the merrier!

What's more, storyteller and local illustrator Tio has been invited to create four smiley illustrations where visitors can see each artwork come to life through AR technology by scanning QR codes. Other playful interactive installations include the Happiness Rhapsody, where visitors can make their own peaceful tunes with different sounds, and a HEAppiness Zone for folks to just take a break and relax.

Take a trip down the rabbit hole this summer as Alice, The Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, along with The Queen of Hearts and her Card Soldiers, land in Hong Kong! 

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of Disney's Alice in Wonderland, Yuen Long’s Yoho Mall has brought together all your favourite characters from the classic tale to recreate a whimsical wonderland. From a whopping 18-feet-tall ‘rabbit hole’ and a five-metre-long mystical time tunnel to a beautiful fairytale-like birdcage and a giant interactive checkerboard, there’s a bundle of larger-than-life displays dotted all around the shopping mall – so snap away to your heart’s content!

If you’re still not satisfied, visit the pop-up shop and dessert station and shop from over 300 kinds of themed souvenirs, including clothing and accessories, trinkets, teaware, and a series of limited-edition tech accessories, as well as dreamy sweet treats like crystal ball cakes, crepe cakes, puddings, and more for the ultimate tea party experience.

For those of us who grew up in Hong Kong during the 90s, Lai Yuen amusement park was by far the most exciting place to be for weekend outings. The amusement park sadly turned off its lights for good in 1997, but with next year marking the 25th anniversary since its closure, TKO Plaza is recreating the magic with ‘A Time Journey to Lai Yuen’ Joyful Paradise for Hongkongers to reminisce on the good old days.

Throwing it back all the way to the 1950s, the exhibition features a jaw-dropping 1:64 miniature model reproducing the scenery of Lai Yuen in its heyday, a Lai Yuen Time Tunnel where old pictures, flashcards, newspaper clippings, tickets, and more are on display, an original carousel horse from the park that’s more than half a century old, and old Lai Yuen game booths with nostalgic prizes for you to take home – ready to relive those childhood days?

Have yourself a Summer Lovecation at Stanley Plaza! Expect an ultimate getaway packed with entertainment experiences, including themed workshops such as tea and wine tastings as well as family and pet-themed workshops; weekend gigs held in collaboration with music streaming platform KKBOX – featuring the likes of Jason Chan, Phil Lam, Cath Wong and more – along with themed light installations made with more than 80 slides that project colourful sun rays during the day and dreamy sparkles at night! Follow @stanleyplazahk on Instagram for more info!

This summer, K11 Art Mall has joined forces with 9gag to bring Hong Kong's first-ever physical meme exhibition. Promising to fill your summer with giggles and laughter, the Meme Museum transports some of the most viral and hilarious memes from around the world straight from your social feed to K11 Art Mall.

Held from July 16 to Sept 5 at the chi K11 art space, the Meme Museum consists of seven themed zones. Expect to see and interact with over 100 global and local memes in various forms – imagery, 3D figures, video, and even scent – as well as an exciting variety of merchandise, including an exclusive ‘These memes don’t belong to me’ board game, a special meme Snapio photo booth, limited-edition Meme Yes!Cards, and temporary laser-printed meme tattoos!

Whether you're obsessed with Nicholas Cage memes, have a secret crush on Salt Bae, or you just want to tell a friend that you 'know that feel bro', you'll be able to find all your favourite memes under one roof.

Following the success of the Cat Art exhibition by Shu Yamamoto, Harbour North brings a new showcase this summer that's completely dedicated to dogs! Featuring the works of multidisciplinary artist Micheel Keck, the Dog Art Gallery presents more than 50 pieces of work by the artist that span from abstract art to mixed media. Divided into four experience zones, the gallery invites every doggie in town and their hoomans to interact with the artworks through sight, scent, and sense.

Don’t miss highlights such as the giant food bowl ball pit and a bouncy water bowl, colourful 3D sculptures in honour of loyal working dogs around the world, and a series of paintings that have been digitised to a dog-friendly yellow and blue tone – colours that dogs are more perceptive to – allowing each fur kid to have a closer look at the paintings. Some of the paintings have also been specially placed near the ground so they are on the same eye-level as every four-legged visitor!

The popular Tong Chong Street Market is back to bring you both a sizzling hot and an icy cool summer. From July to August, the themed market will feature some of the city’s most popular food and beverage vendors – expect Sichuan-style cold spicy noodles with homemade chilli sauce from Crazy Noodles, vegan smoothies and spicy soba bowls by nüte, hearty Middle Eastern flavours served up by Chickpea, spicy vegan burgers from Big Dill, and more.

For coffee lovers, Hypebeans will be offering their signature coffee, along with a market-exclusive cold brew lemonade to quench your thirst.

Don't forget to also stop by packaged food vendors such as Jacocktails, Mad Jelly Limited, and Anka Taste, or pick up various environmental-friendly products at the Beyond Plastic stall.

When you visit the market, remember to bring your own cups to enjoy a $5 discount at designated stalls. Market-goers are also encouraged to bring their own utensils, but there is also a rental service available if needed.

The market is open every weekday (except for public holidays).

From now to August 29, Times Square is joining forces with Botanic Union to create a whimsical urban oasis – made with recycled materials – that’s all about plants, creativity, art, education, and environmental protection. From a rainbow-coloured tractor and upcycled balancing beams to giant botanic tree houses and sculptures, the It’s Play Time playground offers numerous interactive and highly ‘gram-worthy installations that make up a colourful and surreal garden. Adding to the fun, visitors can also join Macramé knot craft and Kokedama – the Japanese art of growing plants in a moss-covered ball of soil – workshops to further connect with nature.

Summer is officially here and that means the return of Central Harbourfront's SummerFest. Held from now to August 6, the annual festival boasts over 25 events and activities with the themes #TimeOff, #ChillOut, and #PowerOn.

Highlights to look forward to include the Monet Garden, an immersive art experience where visitors can recreate some of Monet’s masterpieces and participate in workshops; the Summoji area showcasing a series of 3D smileys designed by local multimedia creator Calix; and the Living Art Space where a variety of performances will be held from July 17 to August 6. What’s more, from July 29 to August 6, SummerFest will also open up to every furkid in town with Home Sweet Woof! Festival that allows your pet pals to run wild in a spacious playground filled with fun obstacles or participate in guided training with professional dog trainers!

In addition, live music performances and workshops, as well as fitness training and yoga practice will also be available to the public. Click here to find out more info on how you can participate!

Trust & Confusion is an eight-month-long exhibition featuring over 20 newly commissioned works from artists around the world consisting of static artworks, audio works, and live performances such as dancing and singing – by a chorus of tone-deaf singers. The art show is split into a ‘day’ and ‘night’ theme. Inside the ‘day room’, artworks would change and evolve over the exhibition period, while the ‘night room’ will present a solo or duo showcase by different artists. So, whether you’re visiting for the first time or returning for another round, you’ll always be in for a surprise.

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of Pixar, Harbour City is teaming up with Disney and Pixar for a mega Pixar Fest this summer! Special scenes and displays from a selection of 12 classic Disney and Pixar movies, including Toy Story, Monsters University, Inside Out, Soul, Finding Dory, Incredibles, and many more, will be recreated and placed around the mall for everyone to get snap-happy. And don’t miss the installation of the iconic Pixar Ball and Lamp, which is said to be the same size as that in its headquarters in California – set up at the Ocean Terminal Deck. What's more, there will be a series of interactive on-ground activities and online games available so you can go on an animated adventure even if you're just in your PJs!

Following the success of the immersive Time Travel exhibition, which transformed Landmark's basement into an underground subway station in the 1980s, JPS Gallery returns to present a brand new exhibition titled Museum Belowground.

Inspired by the British Museum, the exhibition features the works of 16 different artists, fusing the worlds of street, pop, and contemporary art together in one space. From extraterrestrial Sphinx-like beings created by Hong Kong artist Prodip Leung to a 'crying' Moai statue by street and contemporary artist Pure Evil, and an life-size paper sculpture installation of the Barminski Art Store – a museum store by Barminski’s studio – featuring its very own security guard, the exhibition is a far cry from your typical trip to the museum. A highly recommended show to catch!

The popular Japanese cartoon character Butt Detective (yes, he has a literal butt for his face) has landed in Hong Kong and he’s here to find the missing 'golden pearl milk tea'! From June 25 to September 26, the Butt Detective exhibition invites all to investigate through seven curated spaces and rack their brains around challenging missions and fun games. From the Butt Detective Agency to the Wankoro Police Station and the Hoo Hoo Museum, scour high and low for hidden clues, jot down every detail in your very own detective notebook, and help the Butt Detective gather all the evidence to catch the culprit – don’t forget to use your special ‘magnifying glass’ too! 

At the end of your journey, stop by the pop-up store and pick up some exclusive merch like toys and key rings, storybooks, stickers and stationery, accessories, along with special cookies and cold-brew teas. Having previously attracted almost 100,000 visitors when showcasing in Taipei, The Butt Detective Exhibition is one not to be missed.