The best things to do in Hong Kong this week (February 23-March 1)

Head to the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) to find our city’s first comprehensive exhibition dedicated to Mughal art. The Mughal empire was one of the world’s most powerful kingdoms that encompassed much of modern-day Indian, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, ruling from the 16th to the 17th centuries. Though they ruled a mainly Hindu population, the Mughals were Muslim with Mongol origins, and were known for their rich culture and architecture – the Taj Mahal is one such legacy from this empire.

Over 100 artefacts from the golden age of the Mughal dynasty, from paintings and jewellery to weaponry, architectural segments, and even some rare surviving textiles from this period are now on show – Hong Kong is this exhibition’s only Asia venue after its London premiere in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Under the rule of three emperors, the Mughal court greatly fostered artistic development and embraced cross-cultural influences, shown here in jade pieces that have incorporated motifs from the Chinese court. Highlights include a casket with mother-of-pearl inlays, a thumb ring from Emperor Akbar’s reign with western enamelling that shows the Mughal court’s hybrid aesthetic, and a beautiful dagger sheath and hilt lavishly decorated with gold and red gemstones.

‘Treasures of the Mughal Court’ runs until February 23, 2026, and tickets are priced from $150 which also grants access to HKPM’s thematic exhibitions in galleries one to seven.

Hong Kong restaurant Salon des Refusés is setting its sights on Milan this month for a one-night-only dinner on Wednesday, February 25, as part of its ‘Hommage’ culinary series, which pays culinary tribute to the foodie capitals along the Mediterranean coast.

For the Milan instalment of the ‘Hommage’ series, Salon des Refusés will present a 10-course menu centred around the city’s signature flavours, taking inspiration from chef Luca Marinelli’s neighbouring hometown of Varese. Dinner will include dishes such as Cantabrian anchovy, confit Sicilian tomato, and toasted crouton; Sicilian red prawn with fava bean and botarga; Mediterranean seabass with ricotta and oregano oil; baby squid ‘assassina’, borrowing from a Barese technique that intentionally chars the ingredients to achieve smoky caramelisation and a crispy texture; and much more.

Priced at $988 per person, the ‘Omaggio di Milano’ menu will be available for one night only on February 25. Be sure to reserve a table here to avoid disappointment.

In celebration of Lunar New Year, The Pizza Project is launching a limited-time Sichuan Collection menu comprising three special items that combine Italian cuisine with Chinese flavours in the most eccentric of ways. Sichuan pepper, with its love-it-or-hate-it mala numbing qualities, will be the star of the show, alongside other fiery ingredients. 

Available only from February 1 to 28 to ring in the Year of the Fire Horse, The Pizza Project’s festive Sichuan Collection includes the mapo pizza ($130) which is sans tofu but does come stacked with moreish pork mince, fior di latte, mapo sauce, garlic, dried chilli, and Sichuan pepper, resulting in a pie packed with rich flavour and numbing heat. Similarly, the Chinese Diavola ($130) merges savoury and spicy spianata – a cured Italian salami from Calabria aged with hot chilli peppers and paprika – with umami XO sauce, bold Sichuan spices and pepper, and chilli garlic for a novel Italian-Chinese fusion that keeps taste buds fired up.

If you are still in the game for even more spice, their unusual Sichuan ice cream blends fior di latte with Sichuan herbs and pepper to create an icy-hot experience, bolstered by a crown of crunchy peperone crusco (aromatic fried peppers from Italy’s Basilicata region) and a drizzled topping of cherry tomato jam.

Dogathon is an annual charity walk established by SPCA, and this year, it will be hosted at the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, making for the most magical time at the happiest place on Earth for more than 3,000 pet owners and their canine friends. 

Join in on ‘A Magical Journey For Paws & Purpose’, which will begin at 8.30am, cover a distance of five kilometres, and take around one to two hours to complete. Greeting all humans and fur babies at the end of their walk is a Pet Festival at the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Coach Park, featuring a charity marketplace, a pet playground for doggos who have tons more energy to burn, guest star appearances, and photo ops.

Proceeds from Dogathon 2026 will be earmarked for funds that go toward saving animal lives, aiding animals in shelters, and supporting pet-inclusive initiatives.

Hong Kong’s annual winter celebration returns to Central Harbourfront this December, paying tribute to Hong Kong’s cultural heritage with performances from local talents, local cuisine, and photo ops inspired by the city’s beloved landmarks and neighbourhoods. As always, thrilling rides, carnival games, and limited-edition prizes at over 30 different attractions await you, as well as Gandeys Circus’ brand-new winter-themed show, “The Winter World Circus,” a new act that adds a delightfully frozen flair to Gandeys’ signature choreo numbers and acrobatics. 

AIA Carnival will take place at Central Harbourfront from December 22, 2025 to March 1, 2026.

Chiikawa and friends are returning to town as baby versions of themselves! From January 23 to March 2, Niko-Niko Lifestyle Store in Mong Kok’s MOKO shopping mall is hosting the Chiikawa Baby Hong Kong pop-up store, giving local fans a chance to enter the world of Chiikawa Baby for photo opportunities, pick up licensed merchandise and new releases, and immerse themselves in the official pop-up store experience. 

At the 2,000-sq-ft pop-up, you can get your hands on the new Chiikawa Baby Series 2 merchandise, featuring baby Chiikawa, baby Usagi, baby Hachiware, and more. From the Chiikawa Baby Crawling Baby Plushies and Chiikawa Baby Mini Bibs to dress up the dolls to the Chiikawa Baby Star Mascot, Chiikawa Baby Swaddle Plushies, Chiikawa Baby Quilted Tote Bags, and more, there’s so much to choose from that fans of these cute critters will probably get dizzy from whipping their heads around too much.

During the first week of the limited-time pop-up, there’s a reservation system in place, which opens on January 15 at 11am for visits between January 23 and 29. If you miss the opportunity to reserve a spot, be prepared to wait until January 30 to swing by.

Hong Kong street artist Lousy, best known for his bold graphics resembling glyphs and pictorial shapes, is collaborating with viral food photographer-artist David Leung – also known as Davidgoodtime, who specialises in capturing reflected food images highlighting pareidolia – for a dynamic exhibition about dim sum and the ritual of yum cha. 

See photographs depicting beloved dim sum dishes in Leung’s signature mirrored style, mounted inside bamboo steamers crafted by master artisan Lui Ming of Ming Sang Steel Bamboo Receptacle; a customised dim sum trolley; Leung’s first foray into canvas work inspired by the Chinese deities Fu Lu Shou; plenty of Lousy’s signature drawings done on old dim sum order sheets; and more treats.

See if you can snag the special collab bottles of soy sauce and chilli sauce as well – only super limited numbers available and perfect for pairing with your weekend yum cha sesh!

In honour of its silver jubilee, the formidable Hong Kong International Literary Festival (HKILF) is pulling out all the stops this March to present a diverse programme filled with author talks, literary lunches, workshops, showcases, cultural walks, trivia nights, and poetry events. With more than 60 events taking place from March 1 to 8, an exciting lineup of authors has been announced, featuring the likes of award-winning Argentine-American writer Hernán Diaz, whose novel Trust was recognised with the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; acclaimed Indian writer Amitav Ghosh, who will discuss his upcoming work, Ghost-Eye; and Chinese writer Hu Anyan, who will present his poignant nonfiction memoir, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing. 

Marquees and talks will be hosted across venues such as the Hong Kong Central Library, Asia Society Hong Kong Center, Fringe Club, China Club, and Soho House. Programme details, venues and timings for individual talks and marquees, and ticketing arrangements will be released to the public soon.

Love potato crisps? Love Lunar New Year? If the answer to both of those questions is a resounding “yes”, you’re going to love this new festive display at Citygate Outlets. Tung Chung’s popular outlet mall is teaming up with snack food giant Calbee for a Lunar New Year-themed installation comprising installations, interactive games, and a pop-up shop stocked with the most adorable merchandise featuring Calbee’s potato mascot.

Apart from eight super-sized installations featuring Calbee characters including ‘potato fairy’ Jagabee Potta, seesaws shaped like fries and prawn sticks, and interactive games, there is also a pop-up store filled with Hong Kong exclusives and coveted first-release Calbee merch! We’re talking cuddly Jagabee Potta plushies, fuzzy-soft crossbody bags in the shape of the Calbee mascot, Lunar New Year-themed cushions featuring the character Pote Kun and friends that unfolds into a blanket, mini-dolls, keychains – the list goes on.

Louis Vuitton is celebrating its store expansion at Lee Gardens One with a limited-time bar pop-up, partnering with none other than the World’s Best Bar of 2025, Bar Leone. From now until March 15, the Bar Leone x Louis Vuitton pop-up bar will serve new cocktails, mocktails, and food created specifically for the collaboration, taking inspiration from the iconic Yum Sing Bar at the historic Lee Gardens Hotel.

Bar Leone-made drinks such as the Kir Royal with Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, raspberry cordial, and violet; the gin-based Lee Gardens Special with moutai, elderflower, cucumber cordial, and soda; and the Yum Sing Café, featuring coffee, salted cream, and cardamom. Paris With a View offers a non-alcoholic experience of grapefruit and raspberry flavours, while the Bar Leone signature, Masa Margarita, combines toasted corn-infused tequila, sloe gin, and lime cordial.

There are also three food sets available, loaded up with caviar, Balik salmon, lobster, foie gras, and more indulgences to pair perfectly with the cocktails without weighing the stomach down. Read more details about the pop-up and how to book.

One of the highlights of our Arts Month in March is the long-standing Hong Kong Arts Festival, now back for its 54th edition. Running from February 27 to March 27, the 54th Hong Kong Arts Festival will gather more than 1,100 performers, musicians, and artists to present more than 45 distinct programmes in a packed schedule of over 170 performances.

Not to be missed is the Kagami by Ryuichi Sakamoto & Tin Drum mixed-reality performance honouring the late Japanese composer; legendary Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s performance with the Constellation Choir & Orchestra for two nights only; the Asia premiere of La Bella Otero by the Ballet Nacional de España; Canadian troupe The 7 Fingers (Les 7 Doigts) presenting Duel Reality, a blend of contemporary circus antics, theatre arts, and Shakespearean romance and drama, and more. 

Here’s a more detailed guide to this year’s Hong Kong Arts Festival.

Immerse yourself in the forgotten days of the Kowloon Walled City at this epic movie set exhibition, located on the original site of the infamous Kowloon Walled City. Featuring incredibly detailed recreations of shops and other setups from the award-winning Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, the exhibition will let visitors travel back in time to the Walled City in the 1980s.

From the local cafe to the dental clinic, the attention to detail is truly impressive. There's even a small 'screen room' mimicking the rooftops of old buildings back in the day, where visitors can sit and watch the neighbourhood turn from day to night, and listen to the roaring sound of low-flying airplanes over the Walled City area.

Check out our guide for everything you need to know about the exhibition, from dates and opening hours to highlights not to be missed.

Ringing in the new year, Cafe Lantau at Sheraton Hong Kong Tung Chung Hotel is bringing back its beloved seafood buffet with a twist, inviting legendary Wan Chai dining institution Sang Kee to collaborate on the limited-time ‘Shell and Savor’ buffet (from $844.8 for adults, from $734.8 for seniors, from $503.8 for children, all for dinner).

Available from January 5 to March 29 exclusively during the dinner seating, Sang Kee’s seafood staples and Cantonese signatures will be offered at Cafe Lantau, on top of a bountiful variety of iced Russian crab legs, iced lobster claws, tuna, hamachi, deep-fried Hiroshima oysters, soft-shell crab baos, crab bisque, and more from the buffet. Guests can expect Sang Kee’s rabbit fish congee with meatball, steamed fresh lobster with plum sauce and garlic, handmade pan-fried pork patty cake with Tai O salted fish, dace fish balls with clam sauce, and lava black sesame glutinous rice balls in ginger soup.

‘Luminous Neon’ is a new exhibition at the DX Design Hub in Sham Shui Po that shares the radiant world of neon signage and the beauty of the traditional art form with visitors for a dose of nostalgia and collective reminiscing. Presented by the Hong Kong Design Centre, Serious Staging, and Tetra Neon Exchange, ‘Luminous Neon’ brings together a collection of painstakingly restored neon signs and new creations, creating a visual dialogue between traditional craftsmanship and modern creativity. 

Endlessly photographable but balanced with educational and informative elements, the exhibition contrasts the different generational approaches to neon art and its legacy as an enduring cultural symbol of Hong Kong. Check out the historic ‘Golden Phoenix Restaurant’ and legendary ‘Tai Ping Koon Restaurant’ signs that once illuminated two of the city’s most prominent soy sauce western establishments, the ‘Nam Cheong Pawn Shop’ with its unique silhouette, and the Ray-Ban-shaped ‘Tai Cheong Eyeglasses’ sign, and more, all of which highlight the hard-earned skills of neon masters.

Hong Kong’s Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum (SYSM) has finally reopened to the public after months of renovation, just in time to mark the 100th anniversary of the Chinese statesman’s passing. As part of the revamp, the SYSM is presenting the ‘From Healing Patients to Saving a Nation - Dr. Sun Yat-sen in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao’ exhibition from now until March 31, 2026, with free admission to all. 

After making touring stops in Zhongshan and Macau, the exhibition has now come to Hong Kong for its final leg to showcase the life story, ideological journey, and remarkable contributions of Dr Sun. More than 60 invaluable artefacts, documents, and historical photographs are on display, highlighting his ties to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau region. Among them is a historic photograph depicting the Hou Keng Reading Society, a glass negative of the ‘Four Great Desperados’, and significant letters and inscriptions.

If you’d like to deep-dive into Dr Sun’s philosophy, the SYSM will also host scholars from Hong Kong and Macau on November 29 and December 13 for two public lectures. 

In a landmark collaboration between the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) of Egypt, 250 treasures and relics from the land of the Pharaohs will be on display in Hong Kong for nine and a half months. Named ‘Ancient Egypt Unveiled’, this exhibition is the largest, most comprehensive, and longest-running display of ancient Egyptian artefacts Hong Kong has ever seen, displaying archaeological finds loaned straight from Egypt, many of which are being shown outside of their home country for the very first time.

Some of our favourite highlights include a set of canopic jars used to store internal organs in the mummification and burial process; statues of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut and Rameses II; painted coffins of wood and stone; a Book of the Dead papyrus scroll; and even an ancient Egyptian toilet seat.

Swing by the gift shop to find a wide range of Egypt-related merch, including an adorable series of blind box plushies created by HKPM which depict pharaohs, canopic jars, mummies, and more.

The golden age of Hong Kong cinema saw the production of blockbuster titles like A Better Tomorrow (1986), The Conman (1998), and Infernal Affairs (2002). Packed with action, suspense, and good ol’ “nonsense” humour, these iconic crime films not only offer gripping stories but also capture the essence of life in 70s and 80s Hong Kong. Now, cinephiles can relive their favourite scenes from these classics at the Old Yau Ma Tei Police Station. ‘Yau Ma Tei Police Station: A Cinematic Journey’ delves into local cop film classics through reconstructed sets, collectibles, original scripts, and much more. 

This nostalgic exhibition is now open at the Old Yau Ma Tei Police Station, 627 Canton Road, Yau Ma Tei. Tickets are priced at $30 per person, with concessionary tickets available at $10 per person. Children aged six or below can enter the exhibition for free. Make sure to book your tickets online at cultural.cityline.com, as there will not be tickets onsite. Find out more at fpf.ccidahk.gov.hk. 

‘The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: The Art Plaza Project at the Hong Kong Palace Museum’ is a multimedia initiative that takes traditional Chinese garden aesthetics as the main inspiration. The project features large installations by five local artists and an architect, each creative bringing a unique contemporary interpretation of traditional zen garden elements to the showcase, where iconic pavilions, flowing water, and aesthetic rock formations are reimagined with materials found in our bustling city, such as bamboo, metal, and fabric. 

This exhibition will be open to the public until November 2, 2026 at the Museum Plaza at the Hong Kong Palace Museum. Entry is free of charge during the museum’s opening hours. 

The Hong Kong Space Museum has launched a new 3D dome show catered to little Einsteins and space-loving adults. ‘The Great Solar System Adventure 3D’ replaces their previous programme exploring the Arctic wilderness with an immersive, interstellar voyage.

The show will run until October 14, 2026, with screening times at 2pm and 6.30pm on weekdays, 12.30pm and 5pm on weekends and public holidays at the Space Theatre. Tickets are priced from $15 to $40 per person.