Hong Kong has plenty of reasons to celebrate in 2022, from the opening of the Palace Museum at the West Kowloon Cultural District to the 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Nevertheless this city continues to move forward and focus has already shifted to its ambitious plans for the future. The airport’s third runway is ready for the return of international visitors in large numbers, while other major infrastructure projects are continuing apace. With an innovation park, a world-class sports stadium and a performing arts centre on the way, Hong Kong is looking to be in good shape for the next 25 years and beyond.

Hong Kong’s busy cultural calendar gets into full swing with the start of the Hong Kong Arts Festival. Some 200 events and performances are staged across the city as part of a month-long programme. The festival is marking its 50th anniversary in 2022, which makes it one of the longest-running cultural events of its scale in Asia. In a normal year, more than 100,000 tickets are sold, with about 15 per cent of the audience coming from abroad. “Our potential audience is anyone living within a half-day flight of Hong Kong so we get people coming from across Asia,” says executive director Tisa Ho. The 50th edition will be a celebration of the past and a continuation of the festival’s commitment to pushing cultural boundaries. Highlights include Laila, an immersive opera that is a co-production with the Finnish National Opera and Ballet. “We have grown in the past 10 years, not only in the number of performances but also in the number of original works and local productions,” says Ho.