Open Prologue
Before the curtain rises on HKPAX 2026, the stage belongs to the city. From 6–9 October at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, audiences and visitors from all walks of life can enjoy a four-evening line-up of free outdoor performances by local and international artists – an exciting preview of what’s to come at HKPAX!
Against the spectacular backdrop of Victoria Harbour at sunset, Hong Kong groups Unlock Dancing Plaza, Spring Glory Productions, the World Youth and Children Choral Artists’ Association, and musician Ng King-pan will bring audience on stage with contemporary dance, Cantonese opera, choral music, and live band performances. They will be joined by a presentation of traditional Chinese dance and Latin American music, arranged by China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd.
Open Prologue
Day 1 (6 Oct 2026)
Unlock Dancing Plaza is a pioneering and experimental contemporary dance company in Hong Kong, founded in 2002 by Ong Yong Lock and Elsie Chau. Supported by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council since 2009, the company appointed Joseph Lee as Artistic Director in 2022, while Ong transitioned to Creative Director (Public Engagement), focusing on outreach and community projects.
The company is committed to breaking away from institutionalized dance structures and aesthetic frameworks, emphasizing the uniqueness of each individual body. It introduced the "#DANCELESS" concept, advocating the expansion of conventional dance techniques to enable everyone to participate in movement. In 2015, Unlock launched "Unlock Body Lab", a cross-media and cross-cultural residency programme that emphasizes creative process and work-in-progress, encouraging diverse forms of presentation. Since 2021, the company curated three editions of "#DANCELESS Complex", bringing together choreographers from different cultural backgrounds to create a platform integrating performance, exchange, and experimentation.
| 1 | ARCADE@Hong Kong Edition (Session 1) |
| 2 | Slow Dance: Something Borrowed |
| 3 | Crash (excerpt) (In collaboration with Uppercut Dance Theater (Denmark)) |
| 4 | Paradise (Arranged by Busan International Performing Arts Market) |
| 5 | ARCADE@Hong Kong Edition (Session 2) |
Day 2 (7 Oct 2026)
Spring Glory Productions
The Spring Glory Cantonese Opera Workshop is devoted to education, promotion, and research about Cantonese opera. The initiative has produced and co-produced well-reviewed opera projects in Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, and abroad, garnering broad support from the Chinese opera community. Since its founding and under the leadership of maestro Yuen Siu-fai, Spring Glory has toured performances to the UK, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Hawaii, Mexico, South Korea, and Singapore, enhancing the reputation of Chinese opera on the global stage.
| 1 | The World of Prajñā (excerpt from the Dance Drama “Qiū cí”) (Arranged by China Performing Arts Agency) |
| 2 | Blocking the Horse |
| 3 | The Peony Pavillion: The Ghostly Tryst |
| 4 | The Monkey King Borrows the Fan |
| 5 | Two Peerless Heroes: The Barracks Scene at Chu City |
Day 3 (8 Oct 2026)
The World Youth and Children Choral Artists’ Association
Since its establishment in 1997 by Professor Leon Tong, the World Youth and Children Choral Artists’ Association (formerly the Hong Kong Treble Choirs’ Association) has been dedicated to creating a global platform for choral exchange and fair competition. Through major initiatives such as the World Choral Festival and the World Youth Choral Festival, the Association attracts thousands of international experts and enthusiasts to each edition, helping to consolidate Hong Kong’s status as a “centre for cultural exchange between China and the rest of the world”.
In 2008, it organised the “The World Sings for Olympics & World Youth Choir Concerts”, inviting Jackie Chan to perform alongside youth choirs from 38 countries; that same year, it received the HKADC Award for Arts Promotion and Education from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. In 2024, the Association established a close partnership with the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing Association, inviting the annual champions to serve as resident artistic groups for the festival. During the pandemic, it pioneered the launch of an online choral festival, reaching a vast audience through global live streaming. It has since evolved into an outstanding brand integrating competitions, performances, and learning, with partnerships in nearly 50 countries and a global reputation for promoting cultural integration and nurturing emerging talent.
| 1 | St Stephen’s College Preparatory School |
| 2 | St Paul’s Co-educational College |
| 3 | Hong Kong Children’s Choir |
| 4 | Heep Yunn School x Wah Yan College (Kowloon) Mixed Choir |
| 5 | "Under the Lion Rock" (Combined Chorus) |
Day 4 (9 Oct 2026)
King-pan Ng
King-pan Ng is a versatile figure in both pop and classical music, who frequently performs, composes, arranges, and produces music for large-scale concerts and record albums. His works have earned prestigious accolades, including First Prize at the 3MBS Australian National Composer Awards in 2002 and First Prize in the Ethnic Instrumental Category at the Hsu Tsang-Houei International Composition Competition in Taiwan in 2006. Since 2020, Ng has created a captivating series of music videos themed around traditional festivals for the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, amassing over ten million views online.
Ng pursued advanced studies in Australia and Sweden, completing his Doctor of Philosophy in Music in 2014 with a thesis on Chinese instrumental music composition. From 2011 to 2020, he served as Music Director for the Hong Kong SAR National Day Celebratory Gala. In March 2023, he composed the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra’s closing programme at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, “The Stage Door on Mars”. In 2024, his composition Unbalanced Seasons served as the opening programme for the first Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo.
| 1 | RedBricks Harmonica |
| 2 | Sebastián Piracés-Ugarte (Arranged by China Performing Arts Agency) |
| 3 | 3/4 de mi Tierra (Arranged by China Performing Arts Agency) |
| 4 | Crazy HK Jazz Camp |
| 5 | Lo TungLo |
China Performing Arts Agency
Founded in 1957, China Performing Arts Agency (CPAA) is part of China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd. (CAEG). It is China’s first and only state-level organization in the performing arts industry and a major channel for the country’s international cultural exchange. It provides extensive services covering all areas in the performing arts market and has built close relationships with various artistic agencies and companies in the world, offering unparalleled international reach and depth of experience to its clients and partners.
Qiū cí is a partner programme of HKPAX 2026, to be staged on 9–10 October 2026 at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts’ Lyric Theatre.
The musical artists Sebastián Piracés and 3/4 de mi Tierra are touring courtesy of the Latin American and Caribbean Music Festival.
Three of the listed performances are arranged by the China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd.
