The best Hong Kong events in May 2025

Visit this special exhibition at M+ to see more than 60 masterpieces by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso spanning from the late 1890s to the early 1970s. Co-curated with the Musée national Picasso-Paris (MnPP), which holds the largest repository of Picasso’s work in the world, this is the first time that pieces from the MnPP are being shown together with works from an Asian museum collection. By placing Picasso’s work in dialogue with Asian contemporary art – approximately 80 works by more than 20 Asian and Asian-diasporic artists – the master’s enduring influence on art to this day is highlighted. Split into four sections that show how Picasso fits into four artist stereotypes – such as the genius in his self-mythologising works, and the outsider with how he consistently chose to upend artistic styles and traditions – this exhibition explores how Picasso became the quintessential modern 20th-century artist.  Tickets cost $240, with half-price concessions and adult-and-child combo deals available. Visitors with special exhibition tickets can also access the ‘Guo Pei: Fashioning Imagination’ exhibition, as well as all M+ general admission exhibitions starting from March 15.

The second edition of the Chinese Culture Festival (CCF) returns to Hong Kong this summer with over 280 performing arts programmes, film screenings, exhibitions, and other events.  Running from April 16 through to September 28, keep an eye on the schedule of upcoming CCF performances and events here. Tickets will open for sale from April 15, and prices will differ depending on the specific events, but there will be a limited-time discount of up to 30-percent off until April 30.

The Sunbeam Theatre, one of Hong Kong’s last bastions of Cantonese opera, has recently closed down, but at least there’s still the Xiqu Centre to carry the torch of Chinese operatic shows. Curated and directed by the legendary Cantonese opera artist Law Ka-ying, the Tea House Theatre Experience programme is designed for newcomers to Cantonese opera, featuring show excerpts and songs ranging from romance to martial arts. Highlights of the season include ‘Rain-soaked Clothes’ from A Mirror Seal, ‘Love and Struggle’ from The Warrior’s Marriage, and operatic performances in archaic Mandarin. Audiences will also be served traditional tea and dim sum during the performances, a hark back to Hong Kong’s early 20th-–century tea houses. Tickets run from $300 to $342, inclusive of food and drink.

Local artist Chang (formerly referred to as Ernest Chang) is celebrating the 10th anniversary of his gallery, The Stallery, with an exhibition exploring the conflicts between time, technology, and life. Chinese scholar’s rocks are typically prized for their natural resemblance to things – ‘Artifice’ overlays the heresy of modern-day symbols onto the purity of natural rock forms, and asks if this strips away its artistic value. To match these rocks, the gallery has been transformed into a Zen garden with pebbles on the floor, artificial grass, and even a traditional Chinese bridge. This exhibition is running until August 31.

American artist Aryo Toh Djojo, known for fusing the subcultures of California with science fiction and spiritual iconography, is having his first solo exhibition in the China area. In this new body of work, he explores mysticism and the unknown with heat-reactive paintings that transform and reveal themselves when the temperature rises. The visuals are paired with soundscapes inspired by drone music as well as photographic light leaks to create a dynamic, atmospheric experience. ‘Spectra’ is running in Perrotin until July 5.

Among the three recent Oi! Spotlight exhibitions is renowned Japanese contemporary artist Toyofuku Ryo’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong. His Golden Tearoom is an elegant space filled with over 200 drawings of elements in Hong Kong life. Take your time identifying everything from local dishes to the clown motif for Ocean Park’s Hair Raiser rollercoaster. There is also the Golden Playroom, where visitors are invited to interact and engage with each other through board games and electronic elements. This area is also full to the brim with distinctly local items such as Red A plastic lampshades, golden dragon sculptures often seen in banquet restaurants, metal containers for ‘airplane olive’ snacks, and more.

One of Hong Kong’s most unforgettable and unique creatives, local first-generation performance artist Frog King has an intriguing exhibition in Mercury Recalls. This Causeway Bay bar is housing a range of two-dimensional ink art as well as some dizzying multi-dimensional new media art, inspired by the Akashic records – believed by the Theosophical religious group to contain all universal events and thoughts that have and will occur. Swirls, lights, and shapes reflect the intangible concept of collective subconsciousness, and since it’s being hosted in a bar, there will also be a special range of cocktails to accompany the art. To gain access, guests at Mercury Recalls must show a token to unlock the speakeasy-style space Corsican Stars hidden inside, where Frog King’s works lie in wait.

Meet Le Petit Chef – the world’s tiniest chef! This 6cm-tall animated French chef has arrived at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, bringing his 'The Beginning' culinary journey to life with cutting-edge 3D projection mapping. Watch him cook, chop, and even set your table on fire (virtually, of course) while you enjoy an exquisite five-course meal. It’s dinner and a show, all rolled into one unforgettable experience. Find out more about this unique dining experience here.

This exhibition is interesting in that instead of highlighting art, it is a look at the martial culture of the Qing court through weaponry, military equipment, scientific instruments, and more. Nearly 190 military artefacts are on loan from The Palace Museum in Beijing, including helmets, archery sets, swords and sabres, and equestrian gear, along with paintings, textiles, and books. ‘The Art of Armaments’ highlights the Manchu rulers’ emphasis on martial traditions, continually improving their weapon-making techniques, and their dedication to hunting and drills – these set the foundation for military rituals in China as well as the development of their fleets and coastal defence.  Look out for treasures such as a Qianlong-era replica of a helmet used by Nurhaci, the Jurchen khan emperor of the Later Jin dynasty, or the sabre gifted to Prince Gong by the Daoguang Emperor. Since there are so many artefacts, the exhibition will be presented in four rotations, each lasting about three months. Visitors can access this exhibition with a general admission ticket (priced from $70 to $90), or any special exhibition ticket (ranging from $150 to $180).

When is Chinese calligraphy not actually calligraphy? Well, when it comes from Xu Bing’s brush, apparently. This Chinese artist is well known for what he calls ‘square word calligraphy’, which he developed in 1993 – it looks remarkably similar to Chinese characters but a closer look will reveal English words that have been deliberately designed and drawn to confuse the mind. This exhibition includes linguistic features and greetings unique to Hong Kong, as well as the Square Word Calligraphy Classroom, which provides writing tools and copybooks for visitors to attempt Xu’s special writing system.