Activities to bring visitors a cultural feast while honoring local legends

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yunhung (fifth from right, second row) joins artists and guests attending a briefing of the second Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival on April 5, 2024, at Victoria Park, in Hong Kong. Opening on April 6 with the outdoor music feast "ImagineLand", this year's edition will run through July, covering over 20 programs that include music concerts, thematic exhibitions, film screenings, and library events to promote Hong Kong's pop culture. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

Another party is kicking off this weekend, as the second Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival opens on Saturday.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government’s Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the event organizer, said activities that include stage performances, thematic exhibitions, film screenings, library activities and outreach programs will take place under the theme “Arts and Action”.

During a briefing on the central lawn of Victoria Park on Friday, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said that by promoting culture with tourism, Hong Kong’s pop culture could be appreciated by more people at home and abroad.

The festival’s opening program, ImagineLand, taking place at the same venue on Saturday, is sponsored by Create Hong Kong.

Programs themed around literary legend Jin Yong, with this year marking a centenary of his birth, famed lyricist James Wong, and the late composer Joseph Koo include A Path to Glory — Jin Yong’s Centennial Memorial, Sculpted by Ren Zhe, at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum; Classic Martial Arts Drama Costumes and Props Exhibition, under the Arts or Action, Why Not Both? series; the Martial Arts Heroes concert, featuring Koo’s TV drama theme tunes adapted from Jin Yong’s martial arts novels; Music Document Highlights of Joseph Koo & James Wong and Exhibition on Dr Louis Cha Collection and Subject Talk on Jin Yong’s Works, at the Hong Kong Public Libraries; A Laugh at the World: James Wong exhibition, at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum; and the ART!ON POP Concert, where famous producer Carl Wong and esteemed singers will reinterpret Koo’s and Wong’s repertoires.

An actor re-enacting a classical movie scene poses for photos at the "Memory Lane" exhibition during the opening ceremony of the second Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival, at Victoria Park, in Hong Kong, on April 5, 2024. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

The Gen S Concert features local, Chinese mainland and overseas singer-songwriters of different generations; Memory Lane re-enacts classical film scenes; Funarts Corner consists of interactive art booths on various themes, including music, arts tech and handicrafts; while Movie Under the Stars offers celebrated films on the grass. 

Among other notable offerings, Of Fists and Swords allows audiences to revisit iconic local period wuxia and kung fu films, whereas Coming to a Theatre Near You features more than 100 historical film trailers to track the key trends and changes in Hong Kong cinema.

Hong Kong singer Lowell Lo Kwun-ting rehearses ahead of the opening ceremony of the second Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival, at Victoria Park, in Hong Kong, on April 5, 2024. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

Fame in a Flash offers audiences a rare chance to delve deep into Avon Studios, widely known as the hall of fame for Hong Kong’s pop music. Participants can trace the footsteps of countless legendary singers and catch a glimpse of the little-known secrets in the music circles. Albert Au will join hands with different young singers to reinterpret the beloved classic songs in the From Arts to Action Music Concert.

Hong Kong singer Michael Lai Hiu-yeung rehearses ahead of the opening ceremony of the second Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival, at Victoria Park, in Hong Kong, on April 5, 2024. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

Representatives of tourism, food and beverage and retail industries were invited to Friday’s briefing so that they would know the programs being offered in this year’s festival and devise suitable planning in offering concessions to encourage consumption, which will in turn promote the economy.

Xinhua contributed to this story.