Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2025: Celebrating Joy through Comedy, Music, and Art in April

Third Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival to open in April

The third Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival (PCF), organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, will kick off in April themed "More Than Joy". By exploring the classics of Hong Kong's master comedians and discovering elements of hilarity in music, images and text, audiences can appreciate how pop culture can be transmitted and transformed, and how integration and breakthroughs are possible in addition to joy and laughter. Opening week programmes will feature "Silhouette Resonance x The Banquet (1991)" and music carnival "ImagineLand 2025", inviting the public to immerse themselves in the charm of pop culture.

Opening Week Programmes

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Silhouette Resonance x The Banquet (1991)

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Kicking off the festival is the opening programme "Silhouette Resonance x The Banquet (1991)" to be staged on April 4 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre. Renowned musician Ng Cheuk-yin will reimagine beloved songs from classic comedy films with fresh arrangements, while pop singer Alfred Hui, the a cappella choral theatre company Yat Po Singers, and beatboxer Heartgrey (Eric So) will perform together with a live band. Following the performance, there will be a screening of "The Banquet" (1991) (4K digitally restored version), a comedy produced to raise disaster relief funds for flood relief, directed by Tsui Hark, Clifton Ko, Cheung Tung Joe and Alfred Cheung, featuring a cast of legendary stars. The opening programme, blending entertainment with cultural artistry, offers audiences a fresh and inspiring perspective on the vibrancy of Hong Kong's pop culture.

ImagineLand 2025

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Another highlight of the PCF is an outdoor music carnival "ImagineLand 2025" to be held on April 5 and 6 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, the Central Lawn & Event Trellis of Salisbury Garden, the Avenue of Stars free of charge. Supported and sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, the two-day carnival features both daytime and evening programmes. "Go Beyond Concert", "Comics Fun Experience Gallery" and "Funarts Corner" will be available during the day, whereas film programme "Movie Under the Stars" will be held at night. "Go Beyond Concert" will showcase three stages featuring over 35 musicians and artists from Hong Kong and eight countries and regions including Mainland China, Japan, Korea, the United States, Australia, France, the United Kingdom and Ukraine. The event showcases boundless possibilities of music across the performances. Major line-ups of local artists include Ivana Wong, Joey Tang, Yatfung, Cloud, Ashley Lin, Pandora, Chu Wan-pin and more, performing mesmerising popular songs and original works.

In addition to the music concert, "Comics Fun Experience Gallery" will display Hong Kong comics and animation from different eras to highlight the creativity of local artists. Visitors canlearn aboutthe history of Hong Kong's comics and animation while taking photos with comic characters. In addition, "Funarts Corner" will offer workshops on art, music, and crafts for public participation. In the evenings, "Movie Under the Stars" will screen local comedies: "Table For Six" (2022) and "Forbidden City Cop" (1996) on April 5 and 6 respectively, allowing audiences to enjoy outdoor films while relaxing on the lawn.

Other festival highlights include:

Film Screening

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Apart from "The Banquet" (1991), the Hong Kong Film Archive will hold a "Laughter Double Bill: Hong Kong Comedy Film Spectacular" film screening, showcasing eight pairs of thematically related classic films from the 1940s to the 2000s, including "Black Rose" (1965) (2K Digital Version) and "92 The Legendary la Rose Noire" (1992), "The Judge Goes to Pieces" (1948), and "Justice, My Foot!"(1992), showcasing the comedic sparks of master comedians from different eras while illustrating the evolution of Hong Kong comedy films.

Exhibitions

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"Comic Fun for All: The Magic of Hong Kong Comedy Comics", running from May this year to March 2026 at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, will showcase exhibits related to Hong Kong comedy comics from different periods. The exhibition will also feature the creative concepts and artistic features behind them, showing the unique charm of Hong Kong comedy comics.

Another exhibition, "Legends of HK Film Comedies, 1980s and 1990s", to be held from May to October at the Hong Kong Film Archive, will feature a wide selection of highlights from different films, offering an amusing window into the past. In-depth analysis of the films by renowned actors and behind-the-scenes filmmakers will also be offered to reveal the essence of Hong Kong humour.

Library Activities

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To support the PCF's theme of "More Than Joy", the Hong Kong Public Libraries will organise a series of activities under the theme of "Happy Reading" from April to August. This will feature book displays with themes "Delightful Comics", "Into the World of Movies" and "Music Delights: from Classical Music to Popular Songs". It will also include subject talks on "Hong Kong Comics" and "Hong Kong Style Humor Films", as well as workshops on "Digital Art - Creative Comic Drawing" and "National Games Comics Path", all aimed at sharing fun and happiness through comics, music and films. The "Meet-the-Authors 2025" will focus on "Joyful Writing" to explore writing and positivity. In April, Dr Chan Kai-tai, a psychiatrist and lyricist, will speak on "When Words meet Music and Mind: Cantopop and Well-being" to explore how the lyrics of Cantopop promote our mental well-being.

Performing Arts

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The 2025 Fiesta of Music Office Bands, Choirs and Orchestras-Bands "The Animated Melodies - Our Nostalgic Memories" will be held at Yuen Long Theatre in April, showcasing all-time favourite theme songs from animations such as "Nintama Rantarō" and "The Lion King", and a medley of works by Akira Toriyama to transport audiences back to nostalgic moments. Another two "Let's Have Fun with Music" concerts by Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra in May will blend the best of classical and pop music. To heighten the excitement, original animations crafted by local talents will be woven into the concert, making it a truly engaging and enjoyable concert. Meanwhile, "Vivek Mahbubani Stand-up Comedy - Funny made in Hong Kong" by Hong Kong born stand-up comedian Vivek Mahbubani will feature jokes about the funny things of Hong Kong's golden standard of "fast, beautiful and awesome" in June.

In pop music, "Ko Shan Fest" will be staged at Ko Shan Theatre in June, featuring two concerts curated by renowned producer and music director Carl Wong. Wong will collaborate with bands with diverse backgrounds and styles to reintroduce audiences to the history and culture of Hong Kong band music. Another two "Music & Laughs" concerts will be held in July at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Curated by veteran producer Edward Chan in collaboration with pop music artists and the Symphonic Pops Orchestra and band, the performance invites the audience to explore together: What is comedy? Severalpopular artists will join this feast and details will be announced later.

Alongside the above programmes, several industry partners will be offering a range of events as part of the festival, which are not to be missed. These include "My Stage@HKCC 2025/26 - Saturday Music Live" by Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups; "2025 Hong Kong Reading +" by the Hong Kong Publishing Federation; "JITN - SHAG" by the Jazz World (Hong Kong) Ltd & Count-in Music Ltd; "Cinema Day 2025" by Hong Kong Theatres Association Ltd; "Cherish Tonight" concerts by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra; and the "4th HK Comics Support Programme" by the Hong Kong Comics & Animation Federation.

Hong Kong's pop culture has drawn inspiration particularly from humour, a constant trendsetter that has left a deep footprint on many aspects of the city's rich and colourful pop cultural landscape. The PCF 2025, with more than 20 programmes, will not only delight audiences with exciting performances and works but will also offer an insight into the development paths of Hong Kong's pop culture along the line of "happiness". By participating in these activities, audiences will be able to discover their own happiness.

For more details, please visit the website:www.pcf.gov.hk, or call 2601 8703 for enquiries.

Third Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival to open in April Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Third Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival to open in April Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Third Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival to open in April Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Third Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival to open in April Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Third Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival to open in April Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Third Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival to open in April Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Third Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival to open in April Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Government announces updates on follow-up work on Tai Po fire

The three task forces set up by the Government for the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po - the Task Force on Investigation and Regulation, the Task Force on Emergency Support and Fund-Raising, and the Task Force on Emergency Accommodation Arrangements - are making full efforts to follow up on the support, relief, and investigation work related to the incident. Details are as follows:

Financial and welfare support

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For the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, established by the Government, donations received are about $3 billion as of noon today (December 8). In addition to the start-up capital of $300 million from the Government, the fund's total has now reached around $3.3 billion. The fund will be used to assist residents in rebuilding their homes and providing long-term and sustained support.

The Government earlier announced that the Support Fund will provide a living allowance to each affected household. As of today, 1 357 cases have been processed. The living allowance is increased from $50,000 to $100,000 and will be disbursed in phases. In addition, the Support Fund will provide families of each deceased victim with a token of solidarity of $200,000, as well as $50,000 to cover funeral costs. As of today, a total of 95 cases have been processed.

In addition, the Government has so far disbursed an emergency subsidy of $10,000 to 1 932 households, and the relevant disbursement is largely complete.

Social workers from the Social Welfare Department (SWD) have been in contact with more than 1 970 affected households, and more than 4 900 residents have been registered for the "one social worker per household" follow-up service. SWD staff also paid visits to the affected residents staying in transitional housing units in Yuen Long today and distributed Octopus cards with a face value of $2,000 to facilitate their daily travels and address their imminent needs. The SWD will maintain liaison with the affected households to provide all necessary assistance while fully supporting the relief work of the Government. Those not yet in touch with the SWD are advised to leave their contact information by calling 182 183 as soon as possible.

Accommodation support

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As of this morning, a total of 1 422 residents have been accommodated, through the co-ordination of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, in youth hostels, camps, or hotel rooms. Another 2 522 residents are currently living in transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau or units from the Hong Kong Housing Society. Moreover, the Tai Po District Office continues to operate a temporary shelter at Tai Po Community Centre, which remains open to residents in need. The other temporary shelter at Tung Cheong Street Community Hall will remain in operation until the existing users have relocated to arranged emergency accommodations.

Relief supplies and donations

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The supplies donation online platform, established by the Government and the information technology sector, continues to operate, facilitating the registration of supplies donations from organisations and the public. The Government has so far received over 1 600 registrations, of which approximately 30 per cent were submitted by organisations, whereas the others were contributed by the public. The various registered donation items include food and beverages, clothing, daily necessities, bedding, and electrical appliances. The Government is actively assessing residents' actual needs through the relevant policy bureau, government departments, and service organisations for the matching of donated supplies in order to distribute appropriate items in phases to places in need. So far, over 5 700 pieces of donation items covering various categories have been distributed to different places. The matching and distribution of supplies will continue.

Handling of reported missing persons

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Officers from the Disaster Victim Identification Unit continued to search the area around the buildings and near the collapsed scaffolding today, which had been confirmed as safe. No human remains were found, and the number of deceased remains at 159. The Police have contacted the families of the missing persons and those who have preliminarily identified the deceased through photographs to arrange for them to undergo DNA oral swab sampling in batches starting today for scientific identification of the deceased.

Regulation and inspection work

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The emergency maintenance contractors co-ordinated by the Housing Department have completed the clearance of the miscellaneous items at the surroundings of the buildings at Wang Fuk Court today. The Independent Checking Unit (ICU) of the Housing Bureau also continued to extract concrete core samples from the affected buildings today. So far, five buildings have been covered.

The ICU has conducted inspections on the scaffoldings of the four Home Ownership Scheme courts, namely Yee Kok Court in Sham Shui Po, On Kay Court in Kwun Tong, Sui Wo Court in Sha Tin and Ching Lai Court in Sham Shui Po, as well as Fung Wah Estate in Chai Wan under the Tenants Purchase Scheme. Miscellaneous items were found on some scaffoldings. The contractor is removing the items. The ICU will closely monitor the progress.

Regarding the order to remove scaffold nets issued by the Buildings Department (BD), as of 5pm today, 227 private buildings have had their scaffold nets removed from the external walls (including two cases completed by government contractors). Work on the remaining three cases, in which the BD has accepted an extension of time, is underway and is expected to finish within this week.

The BD is striving to announce a new set of arrangements within this week that will require scaffold nets used at construction sites to be sampled on-site and certified as compliant with the relevant standards prior to installation, so that the relevant external wall work can resume as soon as possible.

The Labour Department (LD) continues to inspect fire protection facilities and the fire emergency preparedness of building maintenance work sites with large-scale scaffolding to ensure the occupational safety of workers. As of 4pm today, the LD has inspected 351 construction sites, issued a total of 180 written warnings and 96 improvement notices, and has taken out 25 prosecutions.

Source: AI-found images