The best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend (May 3-5)

The Cheung Chau Bun Festival originally started as a celebration of the end of a plague on Cheng Chau. Nowadays, it has transformed into one of Hong Kong's most famous festivals, where hundreds and thousands would flock to the island to celebrate. This year, the event kicks off with a Climbing Carnival on April 27, where the public is invited to enjoy fun activities, including stall games, handicraft workshops, a variety of performances, a Bun Towner Climbing Fun Day, and more. Then, on May 5 and 6, the finale of the iconic Bun Scrambling Competition will take place, where participants must climb giant bamboo towers covered with buns while trying to grab as many buns as possible. Don't miss the chance to see this unique piece of cultural heritage that's been celebrated for over a century!

From now to July 13, Airside is hosting ‘The World of ASMR’ exhibition that was at London’s Design Museum. This will be the Kai Tak venue’s first time collaborating with an international museum since its opening, and we’re so excited that it’s going to be this special exhibition on the euphoria or calm triggered by sound, touch, and movement. This immersive experience delves into the crackles, pops, feather brushes, whispers, and tappy noises that have become a whole culture and community around the world. Showing over 40 works by contemporary artists, ASMRtists, and designers, the Hong Kong edition also features newly commissioned works by local artists which capture our city’s unique auditory identity. The highlight of the show is a sculpture of wavy, bendy pillows woven together to form over a kilometre of squishy comfort, where visitors can lounge while watching various ASMR-related videos. There’s even an entire room dedicated to Bob Ross, who many in the community dub the ‘Godfather of ASMR’.  Don’t forget to try your hand at creating your own ASMR noises before you leave! Tickets to this exhibition at Gate33 Gallery cost $30.

The ‘Van Gogh Alive’ immersive art experience has travelled to over 100 cities around the world, and it’s returning to our shores on March 10. This exhibition stimulates the senses of sight, sound, and smell to fully bring visitors into Post-Impressionist master Vincent van Gogh’s artistic journey.  3,000 paintings and images including famous Van Gogh classics like ‘Sunflowers’, ‘Starry Night’, and ‘Wheatfield with Crows’ are waiting to be experienced in an elevated way, with approximately 30 giant screens working together to project, break down, and enhance the paintings. Projected simultaneously across walls, columns, and floors, visitors can feel like they’re actually wandering through the world created through his bold brush strokes. Apart from a redesigned layout that utilises more of the exhibition space than when the exhibition came to Hong Kong in 2019, this return also presents something new in the debut of ‘AI Van Gogh’; the technology brings the artist back to life and generates paintings in the Impressionist style for visitors to walk into. Classical music from Schubert and Bach will enhance the enjoyment of the artwork, while special scents are also used to heighten the immersive experience, evoking florals when viewing ‘Sunflowers’ or a fresh breeze in ‘Starry Night’. Early-bird tickets are available until February 27 for $160. Thereafter, the standard price will be $190, with concessions available. Note that tickets to ‘Van Gogh Alive’ do not include entry...

From now to June 30, Nonfiction collaborates with Salisterra to present an exclusive afternoon tea experience that combines the brand’s refined aesthetics with exquisite culinary creations. This thoughtfully curated tea set invites guests on a sensory journey inspired by summertime moments and Nonfiction's citrus collection. The menu brings vibrant citrus notes to life through delicately crafted treats like the bergamot & honey tart, grapefruit pâte de fruit, and yuzu chocolate ganache with brown sugar shortbread – each showcasing the complexities of citrus paired with natural ingredients and aromatic flavours. A Nonfiction pop-up will also be available at The Upper House (The Tea Room, level six) until May 31. Visitors to the pop-up store can immerse themselves in the brand's calming world and explore a collection of signature perfumes, home fragrances, body and hand care products, and curated gift sets.   

Ravers around the city are all hyped up, as Boiler Room returns to Hong Kong after six long years away. This celebration of the underground and club cultures will shake up the Wan Chai Harbourfront near the ferry pier, bringing a diverse lineup of both global and regional artists. Expect to hear from DJs both established and rising, such as Bonobo, Nobu, Baby J, and Xiaolin, as well as several music collectives like Hong Kong’s own Magic Room, N.Y.P.D., FuFu, and Klassewrecks, Japan’s tokyovitamin, and Singapore’s Darker Than Wax. Their original date on May 4 sold out pretty much immediately, so they’ve added another session on May 3. Tickets are available from $500 for 5pm entry to $1,400 for two-day passes.

The famous Musée d’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris have collaborated with the Hong Kong Museum of Art to present this special exhibition on two of the greatest masters of the Impressionist art movement: Paul Cézanne and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.  This is the first large-scale exhibition of the two Impressionists in Hong Kong, showcasing 52 masterpieces on loan from France. See how the pair found innovative ways to reinvent the art of their time, how they viewed the world, and how they captured the rapidly changing times around them. Cézanne and Renoir were also longtime friends and likely influenced each other’s works, as well as later becoming beacons of inspiration for later painters such as Spanish surrealist master Pablo Picasso. The Cézanne and Renoir exhibition will run from January 17 to May 7. Tickets are priced at $50, with concessions available. Note that the Hong Kong Museum of Art is closed on Thursdays as well as the first two days of Chinese New Year (January 29-30). View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out Hong Kong (@timeouthk)

Admire gorgeous black-and-white photographs of Japan’s breathtaking scenery in H Queen’s latest exhibition, ‘Michael Kenna: Japan / A Love Story’. Presented by Nikkei, the Financial Times, and Peter Fetterman Gallery, this collection features renowned British-American photographer Michael Kenna’s 100 unique silver gelatin prints, all showcasing the beauty of Japan’s diverse landscape.  As Kenna’s largest display in Hong Kong to date, this exhibition invites guests to appreciate his unique approach to photography, where he highlights minimalist compositions, long exposures, and moody imagery – all captured during his countless trips to Japan over four decades. Kenna’s photographs will be displayed from April 25 to May 18 at H Queen’s, where he will also hold an exclusive book signing event on April 23, so be sure to mark your calendars. Find more information about Kenna’s exhibition here. 

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.

To celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Dongjiang Water Supply to Hong Kong, a large-scale exhibition has been set up at Tamar Park and the Central and Western District Promenade (Central Section) from now to June 13. Created by internationally acclaimed artist Simon Ma, the exhibition features hundreds of inflated transparent 'water droplets' – with two giant water drop sculptures at heights of 28.8m and 18.8m respectively – to symbolise inclusion and vitality. Please note that advance online booking is required. Each person is allowed to book no more than one session (lasting 20 minutes) at a maximum of five quotas each day. 

The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) is currently holding a joint exhibition with the Palace of Versailles with approximately 150 magnificent pieces to peruse. This is the first time that treasures from the Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles – both World Heritage Sites – will be featured in one exhibition in Hong Kong. With themes spanning culture, arts, science, technology, and beyond in the royal courts of France and China, visitors can expect to admire portraits, porcelain pieces, glassware, enamelware, textiles, books, scientific instruments, and more. Look out for first-grade national treasures from the Palace Museum in Beijing, such as a chrysanthemum teapot gifted to the Qianlong Emperor that was recently discovered to be made in France, and a quiver and bow case with French-made brocade. Highlights flown over from the Palace of Versailles include a perfume fountain – the only Chinese porcelain piece that Louis XV was known to have owned – and a portrait plaque of Qianlong that Louis XVI had displayed in his study. Tickets for this special exhibition are priced at $150, with concessions available. Holders of HKPM’s Full Access Ticket can also access The Origins of Chinese Civilisation exhibition at a combined price of $180.